Haylan: A History
by justmarkanthony
Summary: Learn of Haylan's past. In this tale, Haylan will leave his homeland of Gilneas and make to explore the world at large. All events are PRE-Cataclysm.
1. Mother to Son: A Prelude

**My dear, sweet child, **

_**I love you. I felt you move today, which is why I began writing to you today. Your father and I are so very proud of you. I know what you're thinking. How can we be proud of you and you have yet to make you mark in this world? I will tell you. You already have. You have made a mark upon our hearts and that is not something to be taken lightly. One might say that it is only natural for a parent to love his or her children with all of their heart, but I assure you that is not always the case. My father, your grandfather, was a terrible man. **_

_**He may have done right by us by ensuring there was food on the table, but know that he did wrong by us in making it come with a price. I shall not dwell too deeply on these negativities as the king himself has proclaimed that lingering on such unsavory emotions makes the tamest of us lose our human intellect to the beast which dwells within most of us now. **_

_**I fear for you.**_

_**Rumor has it that there may be a cure in the works and you will never have to see the horrors which threaten our lives everyday, but I will not hold my breath. **_

_**Remember that your father and I love you very much.**_

_**You have come to us during a time of great heartache and turmoil and somehow turned it around without saying even two words. Perhaps the old adage is true? Actions speak louder thank words. I love you more today than I did yesterday and loved you more then than I had the day before. And to think, today you merely kicked me!**_

_**Oh, Love. I don't know how to sign this. "Mother" sounds far to stern for my tastes, but "Mom" sounds petulant to my ears. Perhaps since we are still getting to know one another I shall simply sign this with my given name for now?**_

_**Christina**_

* * *

_**Hello, Love.**_

_**Do you like your name? **_

_**As the gnomes have been removed from Gilneas as a whole, I am unsure as to what your gender is. I would feel dreadful if I were to call you a name for the next five to six months! You father and I toyed with the idea of giving you a gender neutral name like Dana or Ashley, but Cousin Millicent suggested that we wait until you arrive before we name you so that it may suit you better.**_

_**I wonder what you will be like. Will you be a loud neighborhood terror like your father was? **_

_**Aaron was such a prat! He pranked any and everyone. No one was off limits. His greatest prank would have to be the one he pulled on the day we met. Back then, Gilneans were free to visit Stormwind and Ironforge at will. All one had to do was hop on a boat and come on over. I, you see, am originally from Stormwind. (I will tell you all about that someday in the future.) I was with my best friend, Hannah, attending her eldest brother's wedding, as was your father since it was his cousin, the one I mentioned earlier, Millicent, who was getting married. The priest was halfway through the ceremony---**_

_**I'm sorry, Love. I gave us away! I was laughing as I was writing you this little note and your father asked what I found so humorous. He peeked over my shoulder, saw what I was writing, and forbade me to continue. He is actually looking over my shoulder right now and wants you to know that he refuses to have me giving a sub-par telling of his greatest prank ever. He says he will tell you all about it when you get older. **_

_**We love you. **_

_**Christina & Aaron**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

_**My darling Haylan.**_

_**You arrived to us in person a little over a week ago. I apologize for the neglect this record has experienced since the day before your birth.**_

_**You have to understand, we were worried.**_

_**First,you came early. Very early. The medics hadn't expected you for another six weeks, so I am sorry to say we were caught unprepared!**_

_**I was alone when the first signs began. Your father was at work and it was certainly around midday, so none of the neighbors were nearby as they were all about their own business. Fortunately, your father came home before long. As The Light would have it, he was sent home early for a reason I cannot remember. I heard the door swing open and I called out to him. He pounded up the stairs and into the bedroom. His eyes were as large as saucers when he realized what was happening! He rushed around the house, on the verge of panic until he ran smack into a door.**_

_**I actually got up to make sure he was okay and helped him to the divan we had in our room,right next to your crib.**_

_**I'm not sure of what happened next, but once I had regained my senses, your father was standing over me, holding my hand. As agreed,per worst case scenario, I found myself strapped down to the bed. He said that I cried out right before losing my balance. His cool headed thinking saved us all. He caught me well before I got too far, walked me over to the bed, and strapped my arms, legs, and head to the bed. If you had not guessed, we were already afflicted with The Curse. As you no doubt know, when stressed beyond our limits, we change. **_

_**Surely giving birth would stress me beyond my limits.**_

_**I'll spare you the boring bits and the gory details, but know that a very short time later, you came into the world proper. **_

_**There was a problem.**_

_**You were not born free of The Curse. **_

_**You were actually born as a cub.**_

_**A worgen cub. **_

_**A child of the damned.**_

_**Please, my dear Haylan, do not take that to mean that we loved you any less. Take it as the way the people around us would and will view you. **_

_**Perhaps it was because being born is far more stressful than anyone realizes. Perhaps it was because you may have been conceived when your father and I were... not exactly in our right minds. Perhaps it was because as I was bringing you into the world, I myself was forced to succumb to my own burning, primal urges and awakened the beast we all try to keep calm and tamed.**_

_**To our relief, you calmed and before our eyes, you transformed into an amazing and precious human-looking boy.**_

_**Curiously, you have not cried since. **_

_**All you do is smile. **_

_**You are happy.**_

_**Thank the Holy Light for that.**_

_**Love you**_

_**Momma**_

_**(I chose a name for myself!)**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

_**My dear,sweet, boy.**_

_**I love you.**_

_**I fear that things have come to a rather unfortunate head if you find yourself reading this diary without me. I hope that you have come as close to peace as you can hope to attain through reading this diary and either reminding yourself of the love your father and I feel for you, or discovering it for the first time. **_

_**As I recorded previously, you were born bearing this terrible curse.**_

_**Know that you are not alone. **_

_**There were several other women who were pregnant at the same time as I. While I cannot say that these children or women are still alive, the most I can do is point you the right direction. Leave this manor, assuming that you are still on the land of Lord Demetri. I know that he is a good man and has taken good care of you since my passing, but needs a must. He cannot protect you. This is mostly because he is unaware of your true nature.**_

_**You are indeed a rarity.**_

_**Hopefully, there is a letter stuck within the bindings of this book for you to hand to him on the morn of your departure.**_

_**Head to Brookhaven, just east of Duskhaven and seek out Priestess Vanessa. She was the one who initially discovered our secret. As you are reading this, we shall assume that you have not been locked up to be studied by the magi nor the alchemists, so she has kept your secret. Go to her and identify yourself. She will care for you, and protect you with the power of the Holy Light until you come to the age of majority. **_

_**Momma**_


	2. 1

-Buzz-

Haylan wrinkled his nose and wriggled his whiskers.

_-Buzzzz_

He inhaled sharply. The air was thick with a musk he found comforting.

_-Buuuzz-_

Whatever was making that horrid buzzing noise was getting on his nerves.

_-Buzz-Buzz-Buzz-_

Haylan felt a tickle on his ear. He twitched it.

_Buzz_

Instinctively, he tried to move his right arm to swat away the annoyance, but he was unable to. Irritation growing, his eyes opened. After quickly adjusting to the dim lighting, Haylan found his mind besieged by several memories.

**

"Haylan, you silly boy. What are you doing?"

"Momma! I'm a paladin! Behold my wielding of the holy light!"

"Oh really, little man?"

"Poppa! Grab your sword! We have to go!"

"I'll get breakfast going. You two get going. Don't take to long though, we've all got plenty of duties to get to before long."

*

"Oh Haylan... My baby boy... Come here."

"NO! I want my Poppa! Where is he Momma? WHERE IS HE?

"Here, Love. Drink this. This will make you feel better and then we can go for a walk, okay?

*

"I need you to pull through, Haylan. This dosage is strong enough to-- You will be fine. Trust me. I know what you're going through. Now drink up and close your eyes."

*

"Ah! Look who's awake! It looks like Krennan's potion finally worked. Either that or all of these earthquakes scared you into being a human! It's a good thing. I'd hate to shoot you. You're so young, innocent even. "

"Where's my mother?"

"She... My dear boy... Go see Krennan Aranas. You need to see him immediately. He needs to ensure that you're... okay.

*

"Who are you?"

"Haylan?"

"Ah! Well welcome back, boy! I hate to say it, but my cure seems to be rather ineffective for those who have the curse as young as you. In order to ensure that it fully takes hold, we will need to get you a dosage of the stabilizing potion...

**

Haylan blinked and cleared his mind of the memories from the past . In the time that he had been "cured" he had learned several things. First, for the last half year before he had come to his new home, the alchemists, magi, and healers had been perfecting what they were calling the cure for the lycanthropy curse which had infected seemingly the entire population of Gilneas. After testing it on a number of volunteers, it was Krennan Aranas who figured out the current formula which seemed to be the most effective. Of course, the curse could not be completely removed, as intense anger, pain, or fear still triggered the physical transformation for those who were able to revert to a human form.

The second thing he had learned, was that his mother was not among the cured. While she initially appeared to be cured, a few days later she mentally had an adverse reaction to the cure. Her mind broke down and she had to be put to rest for the safety of other citizens.

Haylan could understand that. His mother would never have wanted to be the source of pain or fear for anyone else. Had she been in her right mind and not tearing through Duskhaven, looking for her next meal, she would have consented. He knew that. As a result and since Haylan was still but a boy, he was orphaned. Fortunately for him though, his mother had planned for such an eventuality and made arrangements long before he was even a year old.

The third thing, and possibly the one of the most consequence, that Haylan had learned, was that he was, of course, left the few possessions that his mother had owned. They had no house, as they were servants, nor did they have much gold or silver. What Christina had left for her son was what he would consider his most precious treasure. To the casual onlooker, it appeared to be a dusty, worn leather diary. To Haylan, it was a way to look into his mother's mind and gain the infinite wisdom that only mothers hold. Haylan doubted there was any other book anywhere within the Eastern Kingdoms with as much knowledge as the diary he kept beneath his pillow.

Haylan blinked again, twitching his ears to dislodge what he had decided was a fly. Slowly, he wriggled, pulled and crawled until he was free of the boy he shared the room with. DenJer, the boy who was still fast asleep on the floor, had taken to Haylan immediately. He was born to an upper class family. While he was unsure of who exactly his parents were, the clergy felt the need to be perfectly honest with the boy. He killed his mother while being born. Like Haylan, he was born as a worgen cub.

Unlike Haylan, his birthing was not an easy one. Unfortunately, he began breaching before he was completely turned over in his mother's womb. Instead of crowning properly with his head coming out first, his body was turned; an arm came out instead. The healers tried to turn the baby, but it was simply not working. When they finally got him turned, the arm retracted and his mother began wailing with an unknown pain.

The babe within her was struggling to emerge and was panicked in a way that no one could understand. The woman screamed again as her belly bulged upward and a small trail of blood erupted along the left side of her abdomen. A deep gouge formed as the bulging became more frequent. Though the time that elapsed was less than two minutes, after what seemed to be an eternity, a clawed hand emerged, followed by a small worgen pup. The woman, assumed to be delirious, smiled and whispered soft words to the newborn. Her husband was at her side, holding her hand, the instant he realized the creature would not attack any further. Before she left the world, she asked her husband promise to make sure the child was safe.

The man could not bring himself to look at the child without wanting to kill it. It had taken the love of his life away from him. Hours later, after the healer had been dismissed, the man ordered the servants to bundle the sleeping, faux human child. In the dead of night, he carried it halfway across the kingdom and dumped it at a chapel. It was the best he could do to honor his wife's wishes. In his grief, he would have surely smothered the child at best. He was not an evil man. He was a hurting, mourning man. Truly, dumping the child was the best he could do.

Haylan closed his eyes and exhaled deeply before turning the doorknob, it would not do to emerge into the hallway in this form. Sure, many Gilneans had been affected by the curse, but the little town of Brookhaven still treated the curse as a tabooed subject, and the clergy within the chapel were no different. Nevermind the fact that they walked the fine line of hypocrisy seeing as how they had to convert over to their lupine forms in order to power their prayers. Actually, Haylan, being the silly, yet thoughtful boy that he was, found that to be ironic. One had to openly allow the curse to manifest before being able to begin blessing and fortifying the souls and hearts of others. Yes, the other citizens of Gilneas were indeed a funny lot.

"Sleep well?"

Haylan turned around to see his bunkmate sitting up, stretching like a great cat. _More irony._ Haylan smiled at DenJer and nodded. Their relationship was an exceptionally uncomplicated one. DenJer, having been an orphan since nearly birth, had taken immediately to the slightly younger boy. They became fast friends and were nearly inseparable from the day they met. DenJer, having been around as long as he had, helped ease the newly orphaned Haylan into his new life. Naturally, as usually happens, one boy proved to be more dominant than the other. After some time, Anjanetta found her way to the chapel in Brookhaven that her grandmother had told her about. With the addition of another of their kind, the three youngsters took to referring to themselves as a pack of sorts. DenJer, being the more dominant male, was considered the leader, the alpha.

"Yes." Haylan answered quietly. He really had not been much of a talker since his mother had died. Of course, he would always feel the sting of that loss, but he was still a relatively happy boy all around. His lack of talking had more to do with his insecurities with his speech impediment. It was nothing major, just a moderate stutter, but still. He was very self conscious of it.

"Well let's go! It's the last day of lower classes! We'll get to start our apprenticeships tonight!" DenJer cried gleefully. "We're going to be the most amazing druids ever!"

Haylan felt a pang of guilt at this. When they were younger, the pair had planned to study to become shape shifters like the elves who had come into the kingdom since the earthquakes which had shaken and broken the walls and kept Gilneas separate from the rest of the the world. Being master of the druidic arts, the pair would leave the cursed kingdom of their youths for greener pastures like those of Stormwind. There they could start over and keep their afflictions secret. Haylan's problem came in the fact that he didn't feel that he would make a very good druid. Even in his worgen form, he was rather small, a runt. He would never be able to strike anything very hard with a physical attack of any sort, nor did he feel very connected to nature in general, so the also took out the option of his being able to use it to keep others vitalized, let alone use the power of nature and ever manage to transform into a tree. The final avenue, the one that at least had a little appeal, was the one which would allow Haylan and others like him to strike from a distance. The problem with specializing within that branch of the druids sacred magic was the fact that even still, that drew upon nature. Haylan tried speaking with his pack several times about the matter, but DenJer always shushed him and told him it would come.

_Well it hasn't come today, so I'm going to assume that it just doesn't plan to. Whatever 'it' is. _Haylan thought grimly.

Breakfast was an unusually loud affair. Shirley, the church cook, being so proud of the youngsters for throwing themselves so thoroughly into their studies and already having plans for the future, had gone truly outdone herself that morning. The table was so loaded up with food that at one point that Haylan was sure he had heard it groan in protest when the giant serving flagon of orange juice was set on it. DenJer carefully loaded up his plate with roasted boar meat, a monster omelet, and a few slices of melon before filling his mug with hot apple cider. Anjanetta, not one to be shy when food was present, had a plate full of roasted boar meat, bacon, coyote steak and a curiously tasty omelet. Her own mug was filled from the flagon with the fresh pressed orange juice. Aside from the profuse "thank you"s, everything was rather normal, until Haylan sat down that is.

Haylan grabbed a large grapefruit from the dish in the center of the table and lopped it in half and sat down, pulling his own mug of orange juice over. He hungrily tucked in with his spoon and only paused and looked up once he noticed the lack of scraping utensils from his friends. They stared at him. Mother Shirley tutted, but remained quiet otherwise. Haylan blinked at his friends. As if on cue, Haylan's least favorite person, Father Charles, strolled into the dining area and plucked a bit of bacon from the serving plate. Sensing the vibe in the room, he looked over at Anjanetta and DenJer, then to Haylan.

"No meat, runt? That's why you're a runt as it is." he said. Naturally, Haylan said nothing. He blinked at the man before him and looked down and went to work on freeing another bit of his grapefruit. Father Charles, despite knowing that Haylan did not speak, decided to take offense to the boy deciding to not say anything and just continue as if he were not there.

"You wasteful little mongrel." Father Charles spat with disgust. "Mother Shirley most have gotten up at least an extra hour earlier than she usually does to fix a feast like this to commemorate your leaving, and you have the gall to only eat a bit of fruit and ignore her labor?"

"It's fine, Father." said Mother Shirley. "Haylan has never had much of a morning appetite. Even after all these years, I can count on one hand how often he eats much more than a piece of fruit."

"Well then he should commemorate the day buy eating the breakfast of a man, no?" sneered Father Charles. "Fix yourself a proper plate, boy. Now."

With a neutral expression, Haylan moved with the grace of a dancer and filled his plate. Never looking up to meet the man in the eyes, he ate without ever saying a word. Haylan was used to Father Charles and his misplaced aggressions. After today, he was sure he would rarely see the bitter man again. In the eight years he had lived under the church's roof, he had never actually snapped on the man or said anything to him aside from the most basic two word sentences of "yes sir" or "no sir" and he certainly had no intentions of changing that today. As he finished his helping of food, he drained his mug of the remaining juice, nodded his head once to Mother Shirley in appreciation, and smirked at Father Charles, who was shoving some sort of meat into his mouth with a disturbing lack of grace or dignity, as he slid his own chair back and made to leave the room.

_You have to love the man's repulsive eating mannerisms, _Haylan thought to himself. Without saying a word, he had certainly gotten the last word. He had timed his exit with the filthy man shoveling more food into his gullet. Even a woefully classless creature like Father Charles would venture to not speak with a mouth filled with food, even if the reason was more hoping to avoid choking than following proper etiquette.

The rest of the predawn morning was spent doing the usual chores, a quick bath, and changing of clothes before heading out to Brookhaven proper for the last day of classes. For what his gut told him was the last time, Haylan waited just outside of the church, on the bench near the gas lamp, for Anjanetta and DenJer.

"Oi! Haylan!" exclaimed DenJer as he jogged over to his bunkmate. "That Father Charles, is such a bastard. At least we won't have to see too much of him after we start out druid training!"

"DenJer, I'm n--"

"Hey! You two! Let's go! We're going to be late."

Anjanetta had appeared a little way up the old cobbled road that lead to the rest of Brookhaven. The chapel had been built on a far-flung plot of land to the northeast. Really, the distance was relatively short, but it would still take them at least fifteen to twenty minutes to reach the school house. Along the way, the group grew as their classmates joined them turning the trio to a fair dozen or so of graduates. Haylan broke off from his friends, knocking on one of the doors in the village. A harried looking woman flung the door open and met his smile with one of her own.

"Oh Haylan! Good morning!" a voice not belonging to the woman cried. A small boy appearing to be five or six poked his head through the small space between hips and door frame between his face and Haylan.

"JEFFREY! BACK TO THE TABLE AND FINISH YOUR BREAKFAST!" the woman snapped. She turned back to Haylan, smile back in place. "I'll be taking Jeffrey to the schoolhouse myself this morning. Actually, you'll find the other parents and grandparents have decided the same. We can't have you flustered from dealing with our fool children during the ceremony, now can we. Oh and believe that we will all be there supporting you. You've been such a help to us since this whole mess started!" Haylan blushed and nodded a goodbye as the woman took one of his hands into her own soapy ones and barked for Jeffrey to "SIT DOWN!" before she broke his legs and he would "HAVE NO OTHER BLOODY OPTION!"

Haylan was still blushing when he caught up to his friends. He had not taken up escorting the littles to school because he wanted to be recognized for it. He had done it because most of their fathers, and in some cases mothers, had been involved in the seemingly never ending battle for Gilneas City against the horde. When he and DenJer had been younger, someone from the chapel had always walked them to the schoolhouse and someone had walked them back until they were deemed to be old enough to get there without much trouble, delay or random mischief. As he got older, Haylan noticed that there were a gaggle of smaller children who were walking alone. Concerned, he asked a few of them why that was, and the common response was whoever their caregiver was had so many other responsibilities since the household income had either dwindled to nothing or next to it, they simply did not have time to waste with walking back and forth twice a day. Haylan took it upon himself to make sure they all got to and from school safely. It really just seemed to be the right thing to do.

Before he knew it, the time had come for the actual ceremony and declarations. Since they were arranged by age, DenJer, Haylan, and Anjanetta stood, in that order, in the last third of their classmates. Had it not been so quiet, allowing all in attendance to hear his whispers, Haylan would have tried telling DenJer of his intentions, but he was unable to. DenJer was called up by the headmaster and strode confidently up to the center of the stage. As expected, after being congratulated for attaining the necessary knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic, the first of the two questions that Haylan knew would dissolve his friendship when he had to answer them came.

"Which professions do you plan to study?"

"Headmaster, my primary professions will be those of a Leatherworker and Skinner. Though, naturally I plan to learn about first aid, how to fish, and how to cook so that if worse come to worse, I may bandage myself or my comrades, catch a school of fish, then feed myself or my friends if needed." DenJer recited the phrasing just as they had been trained to do and had done since their first day of schooling eight years ago.

"Very well. Under which apprenticeship do you wish to present yourself so that you may protect both Gilneas and her interests at home or abroad should you be called upon to do so?

"Headmaster, I wish to study druidism. I will throw myself into my future studies so that I may learn and understand the balance of nature, connect with the feral power of nature, and utilize the restorative force of nature which all creatures are bound to merely by having ever been alive."

The crowd applauded unenthusiastically as DenJer bowed to his new master, as was customary, and walked over to her side. Lost in his thoughts, Haylan missed his own name being called and did not move forward until Anjanetta nudged him ever so slightly.

"Young Haylan, on behalf of the village of Brookhaven, I welcome you to adulthood. Congratulations on having attained and displaying an outstanding comprehension of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Wh-"

"YAY HAYLAN!" shouted a voice Haylan was suspected to be Jeffrey as there was an immediate growl from someone threatening to unhinge his jaw should he disrupt again. The headmaster smiled and shook her head before continuing on.

"Which professions do you plan to study?"

"Headmaster, my pr-primary -p-pr-professions will be those of an Alchemist and Herbalist." Haylan carefully looked over to where DenJer was frowning slightly with confusion. Looking to the other side, he could see a small smile play at the corners of Anjanetta's mouth. "Though, naturally I pl-plan to learn about first aid, how to fish, and how to cook so that if worse come to worse, I may bandage myself or my comrades, catch a school of fish, then feed myself or my friends if needed."

"Very well. Under which apprenticeship do you wish to present yourself so that you may protect both Gilneas and her interests at home or abroad should you be called upon to do so?

"Headmaster, I wish..." Haylan broke off and again looked over to DenJer, and was certain that his betrayal would never be forgiven. Remembering himself, he resolved himself to endure whatever may come and continued on in a voice louder than he had used since losing his home and family. "I wish to study the arcane. I will devote myself to my future studies so that I understand the arcane, connect with the power of the flame, and may commune with the power of frost."

Haylan was taken aback when the crowd seemingly erupted. (Anjanetta assured him later that the audience had indeed cheered for him the loudest and hardest of any of the graduates.) Had it not been for the exemplary control the trio had learned that to their long hours of meditation and prayer, Haylan was sure the flash in DenJer's eyes would have extended from not only turning them to the dangerous yellow they had become, but resulted in a full blown transformation. He made his way over to the magi who would be mentoring him. Catching Haylan's eyes, DenJer snarled silently before shaking his head, clearing the anger he must have gobbled up within the depths of his mind. He turned his icy blue gaze back to the stage, where Anjanetta had just been congratulated and had been asked which professions she planned to pursue.

""Headmaster, my primary professions will be those of a Tailor and Enchantress. Though, naturally I plan to learn about first aid, how to fish, and how to cook so that if worse come to worse, I may bandage myself or my comrades, catch a school of fish, then feed myself or my friends if needed."

"Very well. Under which apprenticeship do you wish to present yourself so that you may protect both Gilneas and her interests at home or abroad should you be called upon to do so?

"I wish to join the clergy. I will devote myself to my future studies so that I may truly be disciplined by the Holy Light, become pure enough to mentally and physically heal my comrades, and, if necessary, turn enemies away when others cannot." She smiled at Haylan before looking to DenJer, raising an eyebrow, silently challenging the latter to say or do anything.

Haylan blinked, his mouth slightly agape. Anjanetta had never mentioned wanting to be anything aside from a druid, not that he could recall anyway. He wondered if she had been planning to stay in Brookhaven the whole time or if she had taken the idea from his own initiative to deviate from DenJer's grand plan. One of the magi smiled kindly at him and patted his shoulder before nodding to his companion, who drew a circle in the air with his hand. The air shimmered and wavered before somehow solidifying into what looked like a tunnel with no depth. The woman who had conjured the portal walked up to it, and smirked before stepping into it and vanishing altogether. Ashley, the other graduate who had also chosen the path of an arcanist stepped into the portal, albeit somewhat clumsily before vanishing.

"It's perfectly safe. Ginny hasn't splinched anyone in at least a month."

Haylan's eyes widened as he looked at the man standing before him.

"Kidding! Kidding! Go on through, it won't last much longer."

Haylan stepped through. The sensation was far different than he had expected. He was sure the experience would we rather uncomfortable and he wouldn't be able to breath at all. Instead, it felt more like someone had scooped the rocks, fish, and plants out of a particularly quick moving stream and he was sliding along it. Just as he was getting to enjoy himself, the ride ended. He staggered into what must have been a foyer of a large house. He looked around, finding himself being observed by Ashley and the woman who had created the portal, Ginny.

Ginny was woman of average height. Her skin was smooth, and rather pale if one ignored the freckles. Her hair was so intensely crimson that he was sure she had to be deeply entrenched with the flames and she had been marked as such by having such remarkably bright hair.

"You might want to step over here," Ashley said, motioning Haylan over. "Ginny says it is rather uncomfortable to find the person behind you landing with their feet in your back." Silently, Haylan walked over to stand beside the boy. Just as soon as he turned, he found the man gracefully stepping out of the portal.

"Oi! How did the landing go?" he asked.

"Actually," Ginny smirked at the boys to her left. "Ashley here landed on his face. This one," she nodded at Haylan, "somehow managed to stay on his feet.

"Well now, that may be very telling indeed!"

He and Ginny, who had just come over to stand beside him, looked at both Haylan and Ashley, and stood straight. The both raised their right arms, bringing them to a soft violet glow, and placed them across their chests before nodding slightly.

"I am Arik."

"I am Ginerva, but I prefer to be called Ginny. I'm not my grandmother after all."

Immediately, Ashley touched the tip of his shaggy blonde hair with his right hand, and bowed deeply. At the same time, Haylan clasped his hands together and inclined his head as he had been trained by the clergy of the chapel. The pair smiled at the boys.

"Time for your first lesson," said Arik. "Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and clear your minds. Once your minds are clear, take a moment to just listen. Listen to your surroundings."

"Listen to the crackle of the hearth." said Ginny. Haylan had not noticed a fireplace when he had come out of the portal, but, in his defense, he had been highly disoriented and had yet to be in the room for even five minutes. Of course, as soon as Ginny mentioned it, he could hear a fire raging as if it had been going all along. The smell of the burning logs swirled around his head until he felt a bit punch drunk. Just as he was sure he was losing his grip, Arik's voice slipped into his ears. He was unsure on if he was being whispered to directly or if the voice was just being carried to him on an un-seen, un-felt current.

"Listen to the breeze as it plays against the window. Listen to the chill creep across the windowpane and across the glass." Haylan more than heard it. He felt it deep within his body. He was positive that had he opened his eyes, he would have seen his breath billow from his mouth and nose as if he were in the midst of midwinter snowstorm.

"Lastly," Arik and Ginny intoned together, "listen to the beating of your heart. Listen as the blood rushes from it to the rest of your body and back. Feel it. Feel the power your own body contains. Extend that sensibility to everything in this room; the floor, ceiling, the walls, the hearth, the window. Feel it all."

"Now," Ginny continued alone "pull some of the power within the room toward you."

"You see, Young Ashley, Young Haylan, we, the magi, the masters of magic in all its most refined forms: as blunt as simple force itself, as powerful as the mighty flame, as calm and cunning as ice, are superior to all others. We connect our minds and spirits with the true force that connects us all."

"Command the power you've collected to coalesce around your right arm," cooed Ginny. "If it resists, remind it that you, as a mage, pledge to never abuse it. You will respect it, but you will also use it to do as you wish."

"Now, open your eyes," whispered Arik. "Follow our movements."

Haylan opened his eyes and looked down at his own arm. To his surprise, he had actually done it. A bright blue-violet substance like liquid mercury lazily curled and flowed around his arm. He smiled and looked over at Ashley. The other boy had accomplished the same feat, though his had a faint violet tint in place of Haylan's blue-violet. Remembering himself for the second time that day, Haylan wrenched himself from his own thoughts and looked up at Ginny and Arik. As instructed, he mimicked their actions. He balled his fist, brought it across his chest, and bowed his head.

"That is the Magi's Bow." said Arik. "This is how we identify ourselves to other magi. You may wish to practice until it becomes second nature."

"Now, that's all we have planned for today. Supper is always served at six sharp, as is breakfast. Be late, miss your plate. At least that's Master Ryken's stance. Until you learn to conjure some sort of biscuit at least, I would advise arriving at least five minutes early just to make sure you're on time." said Ginny, smiling widely.

"We actually don't have anything planned for you two for the next few days so feel free to acquaint yourselves with the manor. Unfortunately, you'll not be permitted off the premises until you have been outfitted properly, but that shouldn't last too long. A few days at most." assured Arik. "We'll leave you to it then. Feel free to explore. You'll find your rooms in the upper portion of the west wing."

To keep his mind occupied, Haylan actually made an effort to carry a conversation when Ashley absently commented on a bust here, painting there, or the heavily warded doors they occasionally passed. To Ashley's surprise, Haylan actually verbally speculated on what wonders may have been behind the wards.

_ I have to make an attempt at least,_ thought Haylan. _For all I know, DenJer will never speak to me again, and who knows if he or Anjanetta are even anywhere near here... Where is here? I'll have find out._

Supper was a relatively subdued affair compared to everything that had happened at breakfast. When Ashley and Haylan arrived at the dining room, the found Arik sitting at the table, tossing a ball of fire from hand to hand. Seeing the new duo, he banished the source of his amusement mid-throw and smiled.

"We're actually going to do supper a little differently tonight," he stated. "Instead of an overtly formal affair with an uncomfortable silence, Ginny and I persuaded the chef to just get us a few ingredients and leave us to our own devices. Follow me."

The boys followed him outside and found Ginny walking a circle, lighting what appeared to be lanterns which were suspended in the air by no visible means by tossing a small ball of fire into each, lighting the their wicks. She waved the approaching group over.

"Alright, here's lesson number two. The powers we have at our disposal are generally classified into three trees as you well know. There's the simple force we can use, known as arcane, and the two self-explanatory fire and frost. Now, a common misconception outsiders have is that they are mutually exclusive. They would have you think that a person who has further studied the power within the frost tree cannot access the power of the flame. False."

"Yeah," Arik chimed in. "A student of the arcane can utilize both flame or frost or any other way you care to mix the three."

"Right," nodded Ginny. "Now, before we continue, could the two of you shift to your other selves, please?"

Haylan heard Ashley suck in a sharp breath before closing his mouth abruptly.

"A condition of being mentored under Master Ryken is that you spend the majority of the time in your worgen form," Arik informed them. "I know it's uncommon to be encouraged to show your other form, but everyone within this house has been affected by the curse, and Master Ryken doesn't agree with most anyone else. He says that everyone on the planet has more than one face, some of us literally."

"Aside from that," Ginny said through the smile she was wearing, "you'll find that larger cities within the kingdom actually have a substantial amount of people who walk around in their worgen form like it's nothing. Mostly because it IS nothing. It's as common as having ten fingers and ten toes these days."

Ashley was first. His arms elongated as before their weight proved to be too much and he hunched over. A red flash, as was typical enveloped him and he stood, stretched, and smiled toothily. Haylan's transformation was much more subdued. A puff of smoke, which he had never been able to source, wrapped itself around him and when he cleared, he was in his worgen form. Sadly, he was still significantly smaller than Ashley. He was significantly smaller than everyone truth be told. His parents had both been average height, so he assumed it must have come from an ancestor on his mother's side since she was from Stormwind. He knew for sure that there were, or at least had been, gnomes and dwarves intermingling with regular humans.

"Wow... Um... Haylan..." started Ginny.

"Aye. I assume I know your question, and I suggest you not ask it," a voice rasped from behind. The speaker was a man... worgen... man... Haylan was sure that he and his fellow Gilneans were still considered to be boys and girls then men and women. Either way, the man before him was definitely human looking, but very shabby. His eyes were beady and yellowed, all the more to match his teeth. He was hunched over, and walked with the aid of a cane. The air around him thrummed with a power Haylan was not quite able to place. An epiphany smacked Haylan in the face and he brought his blue-violet glow into being around his right arm and made the gesture of the Magi's Bow."

"Well done," croaked Master Ryken, returning the gesture. A bright violet light erupted from his eyes, temporarily blinding Haylan, though when the youngster's eyes cleared, he could see the old man had transformed. Turning his head, he saw that Ginny and Arik had as well. "Why don't you lot grab the logs so we can get going. I'm famished."

It took no time for the foursome to grab the logs just outside of the wreath of light emitted by the levitating lanterns. Haylan had to admit, he felt more comfortable in this body rather than the form he had spent the majority of his life in thus far. The logs would have surely presented a problem for him had he not transformed.

"Alright, stand back," the old man ordered. He rolled his sleeves up. His hands flashed briefly as blue and violet energies blasted the earth repeatedly, carving a pit several feet deep. He motioned for the others to throw the biggest of the logs and spoke while the worked. "Now, as these two were saying, the branches of magic we utilize can be intermingled and used to our advantage. A commoner would merely look to light these logs and allow them to burn too quickly. As a member of the elite class, you have a different option. Or at least you will later."

Dramatically, Ryken took a deep breath. The air around his hands shimmered with what appeared to be snow, but at the same time there appeared to be fire. He channeled the energies and thrust toward the logs in the pit. Looking at it, Haylan couldn't determine if he was watching a flaming ball of ice or a frozen fireball as it streaked through the air and collided with the wood. Ice crept up and around the logs before the burst into flame.

"Okay... that was just flat out awesome," whispered Haylan. Ashley just nodded dumbly.

"The first spell I used is commonly referred to as an arcane barrage, the second was a frostfire bolt." huffed Ryken. "Note how I utilized all three branches of power. The arcane energies gouged out our pit. Fire obviously gives us the flame we are watching, while frost is preserving the wood, keeping it from burning too fast."

"Our turn to be flashy!" declared Arik. He closed his eyes, bringing what looked to be a portal into being.

"Okay, time to show the old man what you've got," Ginny said in all seriousness. "Use the same technique you learned earlier to perform the Magi's Bow, but instead of pulling the energy toward you, push it out toward the portal. Even a warrior can help with this, though he would stupidly tap into his own energy rather than using the ambient magic around him."

Acting off of instinct, Haylan pulled the magic out of the air around him and pushed it toward the portal. He smiled when his hands took on a pale blue glow, matching Arik's. It took a moment of concentration, but Ashley also managed to produce his own blue light and pushed it toward the portal. A sound like a bell and whistle combined came from the portal before a table very similar to the one in the dining room appeared. It hovered slightly off the ground, loaded with an assortment of raw vegetables, fruit, juices, a bowl of partially cooked meat and bread. On either end, one could find gleaming steel sticks.

"Kabobs! Marvelous!" smiled Ashley.

Of course, such a good night had to be interrupted by something awkward.

"No meat?" asked Ryken.

Everyone paused and focused on Haylan. He cursed himself inwardly.

"No sir," He frowned before continuing. Haylan was uneasy about divulging the next bit as DenJer had laughed at him when Haylan answered a similar question. "I don't really enjoy eating red meat. It's always upset my stomach, even when I was little. I mean, fish is okay, but most land creatures and the like feel really heavy in my stomach and I feel sluggish afterward, not to mention the nausea..."

Despite not having any visual flesh showing, Haylan knew his cheeks were flush with color.

"Meh, just as well," responded the old man. "Seafood in general is a better choice for us anyway. It stimulates the mind. You'll find in your studies that there is a lot of thought and concentration required to focus your spells. Presence of mind is important."

Some time later, Haylan found himself in his bedroom. His very own bedroom. The furnishings were a bit much to him initially. In the center was what had to be the most cushy, plush bed he had ever seen. There was a tall armoire in the corner, a bench which opened into a trunk at the foot of his bed, and a tall chest of drawers on the wall with the door. The space where there should have been a fourth wall was extended with a small open room. There was a room divider made of a wood to match his bedroom furniture and a thin parchment like material stretched between the reeds. Behind the divider was a large basin for bathing and a small door the what turned out to be a toilet of sorts. Instead of it dropping into a hole in the ground like the bathrooms at the church, there was a tiny, permanent portal. He wondered where it went, but he had not intentions of finding out on his own.

He had taken a nice, long bath after supper and sat on the edge of his bed, reading a book from the bookshelf he had missed upon his initial inspection of the room. Just as he got ready to blow out the light, a soft knock came from his door. Haylan got to his feet, and padded across the room, and pulled the door open. Ashley stood there, with a pillow tucked beneath his arm and a blanket over his shoulder.

"Um... I've never spent a night away from home before," the boy bravely said. His voice softened to a whisper when he continued. "Would it be okay if I slept in here with you?"

Haylan sized the boy up, before giving what he hoped was a comforting smile. He was still unsure on how his facial expressions appeared now since he had spent so little time in this form. "Sure, I snore though." Ashley swung at him with his pillow, stepping into the room. Once they had settled into the most luxurious bed every, by both their standards, Ashley scratched behind his ear, with his hand and sighed.

"What?" asked Haylan, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What made you decide not to follow DenJer into druidism?"

"How did you know about that?

"What? You mean aside from the way he used to talk about it to any and everyone who would listen?" teased Ashley.

"Well..." Haylan considered his words before he spoke. He had known Ashley of course, they were in the same age group, but he still didn't really know him very well. He didn't want to say something that sounded like he was no longer loyal to DenJer and Anjanetta. "I guess I initially wanted to study druidism for the same reasons he does, but something changed. He was planning for after this whole messy war comes to an end. If no one ever finds a cure for the curse, he figured that if he stayed with the military or became an adventurer, he could just shift into an animal form instead of revealing that he's not a normal human.

"And while that seemed like a good idea when we first met, I decided I wasn't ashamed of who and what I am. I am a Gilnean. Period. If people don't like it, they can just get bent. Besides that, I've never felt very connected to trees, cats, bears or owls. And I like bathing. Regularly."

Ashley snorted at the last bit. "So what made you decided to take this route and not that of say, a rouge? I swear almost everyone seems to go into that."

"I'm not nearly stealthy enough to be a rogue. I chose this because, well... my mother left a diary and she mentioned that both she and my father studied with the Kirin Tor of Dalaran before it fell."

"Really? Well that explains how you've been so quick on the uptake. It's in your blood!"

"What about you, Ashley? What brought you down this path?"

"My answer isn't nearly as romantic as yours," Ashley stated simply. "I like fire. I like fire, but I don't want to play with ruddy demons. And call me Ash, all of my friends do."

The boys chatted into the wee hours of the night until Ash finally realized that Haylan's responses came slower and slower and made less and less sense. Comforted by the simple fact that the other was there, not to mention the fact that Haylan had not had to think about the betrayal etched deeply into DenJer's face, and Ash felt like he wasn't alone in this new endeavor, the boys slept peacefully through what remained of the night and deep into the morning.


	3. 2

Haylan woke the next morning to the smell of something wonderful playing at his nose. Inhaling deeply, he could smell toast, bacon, eggs, sausage, tomatoes, fried bread, baked beans and what smelled suspiciously like cold smoked kippers. He tossed his head from side to side, shaking the sleep away. He looked over to his left, hoping that he had not disturbed Ash, who happened to not even be there. Dressing quickly, Haylan tore through the manor to reach the dining room. He noted that he moved much, much faster than he had even done before.

"Morning!" Ginny greeted around a mouthful of sausage.

"Good morning," Haylan said, sliding onto the bench across from Ash and beside Arik. "Sorry I'm late, had a bit of a lie in this morning."

"No worries," Arik said, smiling with beans in his teeth. "Those absurd kitchen hours are only in effect during the week. Weekends are free reign. Tuck in."

Not needing to be told twice, Haylan loaded his plate up with tomatoes, fried bread, a grapefruit half and the kippers he woke up drooling over. He had never been so hungry. Halfway through his plate, Haylan looked up to see everyone grinning at him.

"What?" he asked.

"We were told you didn't eat." Ryken said as he came into the room.

_My word, does the man ever enter a room without already having listened at the doorway for like an hour?_ Haylan thought clinically. "Well... I really have never had much of an appetite I guess. I don't really know what the deal was last night or what is going on this morning."

"I'll tell you what it is," Ryken said, plopping heavily onto the stool at the head of the table. He speared a sausage on each of the claws on his left hand before continuing. "Tell me, back at the chapel, what sort of chores did you have?"

"Well," Haylan said thoughtfully, "I took care of the small animals and made sure the candles were all lit and such. Ayana did all of the cleaning while DenJer did most of the grunt work." He felt a sharp stab of guilt at the mention of the last name.

"Exactly," Ryken to the moment to swallow the sausage he'd popped into his mouth while Haylan spoke, "You've never exactly had to exert yourself to any extent."

"I--"

"Oh no lad, I don't mean any offense," said Ryken, "I mean you obviously weren't built to do heavy lifting or anything of the sort, and cleaning is looked at as being a woman's work, so of course you had minor tasks just so that you had something of your own. I'd imagine that channeling the ambient magic around you yesterday was the first real work you've had to do, so it naturally made you hungrier than usual."

"Who knew the old man could make sense?" teased Ginny.

"Oh shut it you," Ryken halfheartedly snarled at his apprentice and flicked the remaining sausage on his thumb at her. Gracefully, she caught it in her mouth and lolled her tongue out at her. "Speaking of your friends, the tailor will be by around noon to fit the two of you for both a set of robes and a formal outfit befitting your new apprentice status."

"I... I haven't any money for that," flushed Haylan.

"What? Oh. What have they been teaching in that ruddy school in these last few years?" questioned Ryken. "As my apprentice, you do not pay for anything. It is my responsibility, and pleasure, to take care of any financial dealings you may have. Just be sure to avoid the tavern and the gambling schtick once you to town. That Mirson is a smooth talking, silver tongued swindler if there ever was one."

"Wait... You said the tailor is coming? Do you think he'll bring Ayana with him?" asked Haylan.

"I don't see why he wouldn't, as it is tradition to allow new apprentices the first weekend to be free before hunkering down for the next ten to fifteen months." said Ryken. "If I'm right about your friend, she has already been to the tailor's shop to formally announce her intention to take up the craft. Even more so, if the look she gave you and the one she gave your other friend after her declaration means anything, then she's almost guaranteed to somehow get herself invited along for your fitting."

"I--"

"And don't worry," Ryken added, "whatever your reasons were for doing whatever upset him so much are your own. Neither Arik, Ginerva, nor myself will pry into your business. I only ask that you work at either achieving some sort of piece or resolving whatever it is that weighs so heavily on your mind before you begin your studies with me. I'll not have you blow someone through a wall, burn an innocent's eyebrows off, or freeze yourself to death because you aren't properly focus on the present and can't leave the past behind. Shit happens."

"Yeah," smirked Arik, "ask the idiots in the Scarlet Monastery. I still don't think they've figured out where the rain of poo comes from..."

"The tiny portals in the loo?" asked a slightly mollified Ash.

"That clever bit of magic happens to be courtesy of the young redheaded woman to your left." laughed Ryken.

"Oh... That's gross," frown Haylan, done with his breakfast before he could get to the baked beans.

Since he hadn't even gotten up until sometime close to ten, Haylan found the time between breakfast and the arrival of the tailor to go by remarkably fast. He spent the bulk of the time making several copies of the same letter, asking permission to study and learn fishing, bandaging, cooking, herb identifying and gathering and how to properly brew drinks, drafts, elixirs and everything else a potions master should be able to do. The knock at his door made him jump and fall out of the chair at his desk. He had a desk. Of his own. In his room. He decided he was far too tired the night before if he had not noticed the great oaken desk in the room.

He bounded over to the door, relishing the distance he could cover and the speed he could amass in such short order in his worgen form. _[i]Maybe the curse is more of a blessing in disguise,[/i]_ he mused. He pulled the door open, expecting it to be Ash, and when it wasn't his mouth fell open slightly, as it had been doing repeatedly in the last day or so.

"AYANA!"

"Haylan?" she asked, taken aback when she found herself on the receiving end of a hug.

"Don't sound so surprised," he quipped. "You had to know I had been placed under Master Ryken's tutelage.

"Well of course I knew that," she answered dismissively, pushing past her friend, "but what have they done to you? I've never heard your voice above a whisper or seen you so happy."

"Well I am happy, and I guess I was just excited to see you. It feels like it's been forever."

"We just walked to the schoolhouse together yesterday morning..."

"Well it feels like a lot longer. I got used to seeing your stupid face every morning."

"Wow. I need to sit down. This is too much," said Ayana. Haylan just beamed at her. After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she looked critically at her friend, pulling a tape measure from the front pocket of her robe, along with a marking stick made of what Haylan presumed to be talc and a bit of cloth parchment. She motioned for him to raise his arms and began taking his measurements. "So... that was pretty bold of you to actually do what you wanted yesterday."

"Yeah..."

The two discussed what they had done and why. Haylan was surprised to find out that Ayana had never meant to become a druid seriously. She just kept her mouth shut since she was newly alone and did not want to be the outcast of the chapel's little band of orphans. She had always wanted to become a priestess, though she was unsure on how she would have gone about it if things had not transpired as they had. Ayana's parents, like Haylan's mother, had not survived the cure, though her grandmother had. When the earthquakes began, the house she lived in with her grandmother rumbled and fell to the ground like a pile of sticks, injuring the old woman. Ayana's grandmother never fully recovered. Six years ago, right after Ayana had turned eight years old, her life changed forever. She watched as helplessly as her grandmother stepped through the veil that separates the living from the dead. With her last breath, the old woman whispered something about a church in the next town over and that Ayana would do well to seek a particular priestess.

Unsure of why, once Ayana reached Brookhaven, she was surprised by the kindness of the woman she had been sent to find. She never did return to her hometown to properly eulogize her grandmother. She was unsure as to whether or not she could bear seeing the remains of the woman who had loved and cared for her so. Ayana was sure however that had she possessed even a fraction of the faith and power of the woman who had accepted her without question, she would have been able to save her grandmother. While she was different from Haylan and DenJer, not having been born in her worgen form, she still felt an intense kinship with the two. Admittedly though, she felt closer to the nearly silent Haylan. They had more in common. Where DenJer was quick to anger, bossy, and rather something like a bully, Haylan was more like her; cool, calm and collected. He never sought to fight people over unimportant slights made against his person. He used his actions to speak far louder than his voice ever could without actually causing harm to another person.

"Alright, well it looks like that's about it," Ayana said as she stuffed her measuring instruments back into her robe pockets.

"Wait, what about my human form? Don't you have to measure for that too?" asked Haylan.

"Nope," said Ayana, flicking her hand dismissively, "I know your human size. Before even being allowed to leave the shop, all apprentice tailors have to display an understanding in conversion and cloth manipulation. Basically, I had to show that I could not only figure out a customer's other form, but imbue the cloth with the Gift of Gilneas."

"The what?"

"The Gift of Gilneas. It's pretty much a charm to make your clothes adjust and fit you properly when you switch from one form to the other and back," explained Ayana.

"Oh okay. I wondered how Ginny and Arik didn't destroy their clothes when they shifted last night." said Haylan.

"Hey, let's make an agreement?"

"What kind of agreement?"

"Well, eventually I'll be opening my own shop," Ayana said with a glossed over look in her eyes, "but it's going to be expensive to start up, of course. I have a few bits of gold in vault somewhere from what my family left me, but still... I think it would be beneficial to both of us if we were to help each other out with discounted prices, you know?"

"Actually, I'll do you one better," said Haylan. "We've been friends since we were both like eight years old. Six years is a long time, especially considering we both lack families and we're living in the middle of a war. I'll just go ahead and send you whatever potions I'm able to make. I know you'll be able to put them to good use. At least a better use than they would achieve sitting in my vault for however long they may sit there. I'm bound to over-pick whatever number of posies I come across anyway."

"Well in that case, if you can donate to me any cloth you don't need or any junk you find and have no use for, I'll craft your clothes for free and see if I can't pull out the useful properties of whatever you find and reconstruct them into something with purpose."

"Deal," Haylan said, sticking his arm out to seal it with a handshake. "Wait... what about DenJer?"

"Well... I spoke with him already. They druids who he is apprenticing under are staying at the chapel, oddly enough. He and I agreed, after he yelled at me for the better part of an hour, to a similar affiliation. I'll enchant his gear, and provide him with scraps of cloth should he need them, but at a small cost," she smiled. "Oh don't be so surprised. I never really was as close to him as you are."

"I.. did he say anything about me?"

"Oh just that he thinks we had been scheming and planning behind his back when he just wanted to protect us since it is his duty as our alpha." The smile fade from her face as she added, "I'm sure you two will be able to work out whatever he's still acting so butt hurt over."

"I... you don't know him like I do. He may pretend like everything is fine and worked out, but it won't be. DenJer holds grudges. He never lets go of anything."

*

The rest of the day proved to be unfruitful. Haylan's thoughts lingered on his betrayal of DenJer for the rest of the day and well into the evening. After the sun had called it quits and allowed the moon to take over, Haylan found himself sitting out in the field, resting beneath a spindly tree. The sun's retreat allowed the true master of fall, a harsh, chill wind, to take over. Haylan watched a small whirlwind of leaves and debris swirl a few paces away. Being in his worgen form, he found the world to be a little different. It was not that his senses had sharpened, for they had never been dull. The word Haylan would have used to describe the sensations he was experiencing was "deeper." He had always had acceptable eyesight, but his eyes seemed to see more than what was before him. Dark and light had greater contrast than they once had. His sense of smell was stronger. As one would expect, he could smell things which had long since been gone. And his hearing! At first, Haylan had been overwhelmed by just how much more he could hear. Even sitting out, alone in the fields found his ears besieged by unseen noise makers. To his front, the whirlwind crackled as the leaves tumbled over each other. Crickets chirped in the tall grass just outside of his reach and frogs croaked in the knotholes of the tree he had decided to lean against. There was a soft thumping noise from somewhere behind him, perhaps a little to the left, that sounded like it was coming closer.

Haylan sat up a little straighter, straining his ears. His first thought was that it was a wayward cow or sheep, but that was impossible. He had made sure to see that every bit of livestock had made its way to the appropriate pen, coop, or barn. Besides that, he could definitely only hear the footfall of one pair of feet. Who or whatever it was that had made to sneak up on him was bipedal and definitely trying to be stealthy. Haylan stood and contemplated his options. The least hysterical choice would be to stand there, call out to what or whoever it was while the most hysterical would be to bolt through the field, screaming at the top of his lungs while praying he would make it to the house without being murdered before he got there. Haylan, being who he was, went with what seemed to be the best plan available.

"Hello?" he called out in the softer, duller voice he had used before coming to learn from Master Ryken and his more advanced students.

No answer of any sort. The footsteps even stopped for a moment.

Then they came back, slightly louder and faster than they had been before.

"HELLO!?" Haylan's voice was louder, if a bit shaky. He looked around and grabbed the staff he had been presented with at supper. "_When all else fails and you've exhausted your mana, bludgeon the sucker to death."_ Arik's words came flooding back to the forefront of Haylan's mind.

_A fat lot of good this will do me since I don't even know how to USE my mana aside from making the pretty sparkles for that stupid salute. I'm going to be murdered while saluting my murderer!_

Haylan shook the thoughts from his head and bit his lip. He'd taken a deep breath to call out again, but his words caught in his throat. A telltale branch snapped in the darkness to his left, on the other side of the tree he had been leaning up against. As luck would have it, a cloud lolled by at that moment, muting the already dim lighting the moon had been providing. Haylan could hear his stalker coming closer in the darkness.

He froze, rooted to the spot he stood in.

The cloud moved along faster then Haylan had expected, but so had the branch snapper. In the full glow of the moon, Haylan could see the creature which had certainly planned to bring about his demise.

Moving faster than it should have been able to, a great, grizzled bear was breathing on on top of Haylan's head. It growled softly, foaming all the while. A tendril of saliva landed on his nose and his insides turned to mush. The basic fear pumping through his veins forced Haylan to take a step back to at least make an attempt in earnest to flee. The bear reached out to capture Haylan.

Instinctively, Haylan ducked the claw raking toward him, took the staff he had been holding, fixed it with a grip on the smaller end, and swung with all of his might.

The bulbous end of the staff connected with the jaw and temple region and the creature staggered backwards. Haylan, being no one's fool, took off running faster than he had ever run before. A roar erupted somewhere behind him, but that was all the more to fuel Haylan. He tucked his staff into his belt so he could use both his arms and legs to run even faster. The neophytic magus could hear the beast crashing and thundering somewhere behind him. Thankfully, before the creature could catch up, Haylan literally leapt through the portal which would drop him in the foyer. Unlike the portal he had used the other day, this one was warm, borderline hot. Reflecting on it later, Haylan would describe that particular portal as swimming through a hot spring. Landing on the other side, Haylan grabbed the rune Arik had explained powered portals and rubbed the markings until they smudged, effectively snuffing out the portal he had just used. There was no way he was going to let the beast follow him into the manor where it could rend all sorts of unknown havoc upon the unsuspecting inhabitants.

"Haylan? Are you okay?"

Still on edge, Haylan jumped and held his staff the way he had just moments ago before realizing he was looking at Arik. Arik gently pried both the staff from Haylan's intense grip and the story from him. Some fifteen minutes passed before he could get the story from the boy and locate Ginny so they could go and inspect the grounds. Haylan had been ordered to go to his room and stay put until the matter could be sorted out.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, jumping every time it, the wood of the floors, or the plaster of the walls groaned, creaked or crackled, Haylan let the encounter play through his head over and over.

_**Knock-Knock-Knock**_

The door creaked open before Haylan could act. Ash quickly and silently stepped into the room, kicking the door shut with the heel of his foot. He held a vial of a bright green liquid up to Haylan's face.

"Drink this."

"What is it?"

"A variant of a mild Dreamless Sleep combined with a calming draught."

"Did they find... whatever it was?"

"No, but they found traces of it. Whatever it was, it's gone now, but it left the anti-intrusion wards screaming. Somehow, whatever it was befuddled them to get onto the grounds and what's even stranger is that the alarm wards linked to the main house never even went off."

"Wait, how would we know that they never went off? Wouldn't they alert Master Ryken as this is his home?"

"No, no. Since he left on his expedition to aid the Alliance in keeping our foothold in Outland, he redirected them to Ginny and Arik."

"Oh."

"Don't worry about that right now though. Drink up. Since they can't figure out what happened, we start training in the morning."

"What!? I thought they said they didn't have any plans for us just yet."

"Yeah, well the whole issue with someone sneaking onto the grounds has them a little concerned to say the least. They don't want it to happen again and one of us be caught unawares."

Haylan nodded grimly at his new friend and threw his head back, letting the grassy colored potion slide down his throat. The effects were almost immediate. A warm wave of peacefulness spread from his belly, urging his muscles to just relax. Blinking slowly, cocking his head to the side, Haylan slipped into his human form, For some reason, it just felt right to him at the moment. He was sure that even if it felt wrong, he would have had difficulty swapping back to his worgen form.

"Shdoojoothinkaahlgitintrurble?"

"What?" asked Ash, smiling slightly in amusement. He had not realized the potion would work so quickly.

"Do you think I'll get in trouble?" said Haylan, carefully enunciating each word. "I mean for being human?"

"Oh nah." answered Ash. "I bet they expected that to happen. Dreamless Sleep, even in this exponentially diminished version is seriously strong stuff. Given that, the fact that it was mixed with a calming draught, and how small you are, I would be offended on your behalf if they expected you to be able to maintain your worgen form."

Haylan smirked at that comment. He thought Ash would have the same control over his transformations he possessed himself. Maybe Ash was born before the curse had affected his mother while she was pregnant with him. That made no sense to him though. Maybe it was because he was suspected to have been conceived while his parents were lost in a frenzy and he had grown in his mother as a worgen the whole time. He would ponder those ideas at some later time. At present, he just wanted to sleep. Just as he started give in to the potion, an animal, somewhere nearby, though relatively far away roared into the night.

"Stay with me?" asked a nearly sleeping Haylan.

"Certainly."

*

Haylan awoke to hearing a faint chiming. He blinked his eyes open and listened for a moment. He was certain the noise did not exist in reality. Or rather it existed but was coming from his own ears. Haylan's second observation and those that immediately followed made him smile. A caramel colored arm had been draped across his face. Slowly extracting himself and it's owner, Haylan turned in his bed to see Ash snoring softly, drooling ever so slightly on his pillow. _He's a good friend_, thought Haylan. _He stayed the night with me to make sure I didn't freak out or anything. I'll have to do something nice for him._ With that mental note logged away in his mind, Haylan shook his friend away and the two were down at breakfast less than fifteen minutes later.

"Ah! Good morning boys," greeted Ginny. She looked a little worse for wear this morning, even in her worgen form. "Good to see the alarm charm I set on your rooms were strong enough to wake you up after all. I thought I may have cast them a little on the weak side."

"Yes, well," Arik said in a matter-of-fact tone, clearly worn out, "We'll begin with a few warm up exercises right after breakfast."

"Yeah, better eat up," suggested Ginny, seeing Haylan reach for nothing but a grapefruit. "I know it sounds harsh, but we won't be breaking at all until you two get the spell down."

Taking Ginny up on her advise, Haylan grabbed a bowl and filled it with the hearty porridge resting in the large pot in the center of the table. He found it surprisingly good after adding just a bit of sugar and cream. Back at the chapel the porridge served was more akin to gruel than what he was eating at the moment. This porridge was filled with bits of fried dough, eggs, little bits of salty pork, and a leafy vegetable he was unable to identify. Breakfast was over sooner than Haylan would have liked, but he consented to following his two mentors to one of the sealed rooms he and Ash had found on their first day.

The inside was nothing like he had expected. It was just cold. That was all. There was no furniture, no decoration, no nothing. It was just a bare, obscenely chilly room.

"This room, though reminiscent of the dead of winter, is one of the most important in the entire house." said Ginny.

"Why **is** it so cold in here?" asked Ash, clearly uncomfortable.

"Great that you asked," said Arik. "If you'll remember what you've learned so far, the adept magus is capable of drawing on the powers of the arcane, frost and flame. The scary ones can wield all three simultaneously. That sort of magus though tends to be nearly a fossil though thanks to the amount of time one would have to spend studying and learning each branch of magic in depth. Back to your question though, this room is designed to, hopefully, force you to pull on two branches of magic at the same time, or at least back to back.

"Given the events of last night, Ginny and I find it prudent to go ahead and get you two started with your training instead of allowing you another day to explore and check out the manor. The problem though, is that we disagree on how to go about ensuring your safety. I believe the best defense is an indomitable offense."

"I, on the other hand," interrupted Ginny, "feel it wiser to have an understanding of defense to launch said offense."

"Uh.. So why is this room so cold?" Haylan asked, repeating Ash's question.

"Cheeky monkey," chided Arik, "it's cold in here for two reasons. Reason One: You will learn to draw upon the coolness of the room and tie it to yourself."

"Reason A: If you aren't already, you should find yourself to be so cold that you want to light a fire. Or bring one to you." said Ginny.

"You went from 'number one' to 'letter a' on purpose?" asked Ash.

"We would hate to have subliminally influenced you when it comes time for you to choose a specialization." Ginny answered with a smirk. "Alright, Lesson A: focus on the cold around you the same way you did when you were listening to the room first arrived here. Think about how you can see your breath in front of you. Bring your arms up chest level and take a deep breath. Now, imagine a roaring, crackling fire to warm your body up and exhale, blowing into your hands. WHOA!"

Haylan jumped! He looked down to his hands and his trailing breath. Nothing had happened. He was confused. He looked over to see if Ash had pinpointed the cause of Ginny's surprise. He had.

Flames twirled around Ash's arms and all the way up to his shoulders.

"Excellent, Ash!" praised Ginny. "now, try to focus and pull it all into the space between your hands." Ash managed the feat easily, smiling the whole time.

Several hours later, a discouraged Haylan plopped down at the lunch table. He had only just managed to sustain a tiny spark between his fingers, all the while Ash had learned to juggle the small orbs of fire he easily conjured. Haylan had suggested the others continue with the other spell while he focused on the one he was working on, but they assured him they could and would wait for him. There was no reason for them to really rush. Ginny even went so far as to assure him that it could take awhile.

"It took me a fortnight before I could conjure a flame, even longer before I could guide and direct it." she had said, failing in her attempt to make Haylan feel better about his lack of progress.

When he had finally managed to get the small air between his numbed fingers to ignite, he nearly collapsed from exultation and exhaustion simultaneously. It was only due to his sheer determination to maintain the tiny flame that he stayed on his feet.

Lunch was a relatively light affair compared to the meals provided the two days before. Today lunch was pile of rolls, thinly sliced meats and cheeses, and an assortment of sliced fruits and vegetables. After washing it all down with a swig of unknown-origin juice, they were back to business in the cold room.

"Okay, recall your flames," instructed Ginny.

Haylan grimaced, grunted and strained to pull his own personal ball of fire back into being. Arik was right, it was far easier to recall than it had been to initially conjure. Thinking of him, Haylan looked over to the far side of the room where Arik had wandered off to. At the wave of his hand, a shield shaped out of fire flashed momentarily in the air between him and the others.

"Now, throw it at Arik. This is what we call a fireball."

"What!?" said Haylan.

"Don't worry," called Arik. "That flash you just saw was a fire ward. You shouldn't actually be able to hit me."

"Alright, I find it easiest to cast my fireballs like this," Ginny said, demonstrating a very fluid motion, sending a crackling fireball swooping through the air at Arik. It exploded spectacularly against the fire ward which reappeared a few feet in front of Arik once Ginny's fireball closed in.

Ash mimicked the motion without prompting, sending a huge fireball of his own careening toward Arik.

Haylan looked down at his own pitiful manifestation of a fireball. What could he possibly do with such a tiny flame? He doubted he would even be able to light the wick of a candle. He looked back up, Ginny was looking at him expectantly. He stepped up to where Ash and she had stood when they threw their own fireballs and inhaled deeply. He was nervous.

Letting go of the breath he had held long enough to get a heady feeling, Haylan allowed his body to flow the same way Ginny had demonstrated and let his fireball fly.

It managed to travel about a meter or so before it puttered out. Haylan wiped his face with his hands in frustration. _Why can't I do it?! How is it that Ash has such better control over fire than I do? He couldn't have gotten extra preparation, could he?_ As if she could read his thoughts, Ginny patted Haylan on the shoulder.

"It's okay, Haylan," she said. "You literally just pulled fire out of nothingness and managed to throw it a bit. It takes time to gain the control-"

"Can we just move on to the other lesson for me to fail at?" asked Haylan. He kept his head down as he whispered his desperate plea.

"Yeah," she said. "If I'm right about you, you'll find this next exercise to be much easier than the Fireball spell."

"You don't have to do that," he said, voice still quiet.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Try to make me feel better," Haylan answered. " I suck at this."

Ginny smiled kindly at Haylan, patting him on the shoulder again. Arik had made his way back over by then.

"Okay, time for Lesson A," he said with a smile.

"Those two things weren't separate?" asked Ash.

"You wish you could be so lucky. This next exercise is the polar opposite of the the Fireball technique. Starting again, focus on the cold in the room, but instead of trying to counteract it, accept it. Accept the cold. Accept the way it makes your fur stand on end. Accept the way you can see your breath in front of you when you breath out." said Arik.

Haylan had a much easier time with this. The cold, when he thought about it rather than just allowed his body to feel it was not nearly as unbearable as it had been. It was more like jumping into a cool lake on a hot summer day. He felt more refreshed than he did cold.

"Now, pull it to you. Pull the chilly, icy air close to you and layer it over you and your clothing."

Haylan heard a small chiming, crackling sound. His eyes flew open immediately. The air above his head solidified for a split second before vanishing.

"Very nice, Haylan," said Arik, "that's what we call Frost Armor. Drawing it out will make you a bit tougher. Should anything strike you, assuming your assailant is hitting you with either their hands or something they are holding, they will more than likely be lashed out at by your Frost Armor and chilled to the point that it takes them a moment to push past the cold to strike again. I'd advise you to have moved before they can whack you again."

This time, it was Ash's turn to struggle a bit. It took him the better part of the day to figure out how to pull the cold around him and drape it around his body. Haylan, on the other hand, started playing around with maintaining his Frost Armor for extended periods of time while practicing his Fireball. With more personalized guidance from Ginny, by supper time, Haylan had the proper stance for all basic projectile conjuring down pat. His Fireballs flew the standard distance by the time they adjourned for dinner, even if they were a little weak.

"See!" Ginny said, swallowing a hunk of bread. "I was right about you!"

"Right about what?" asked Haylan.

"You were having trouble with the Fireball at first compared to Ash over there, but it wasn't your fault. Ash has a natural affinity to fire."

"He's going to be a hell of a Fire Mage if that's the route he chooses to go," added Arik, talking around the brim of his mug.

"You, on the other hand," Ginny continued, "you're just like me. You have an affinity for frost magic."

"Like you?" Haylan frowned as he said those words.

"Yeah, like me." she said. "I specialized in the frost tree of our available specializations."

"But... your hair is so red," stammered Haylan.

"Uh... it runs in my family?" laughed Ginny.

"Well, if you're a Frost Mage, why were you teaching us how to summon and throw the Fireball?" asked Ash.

"We figured it would be easier that way." said Arik. "I'm a Fire Mage, so I wouldn't be a very good teacher for the initial conjuring of fire for a pupil who doesn't share that affinity with me."

"And vice versa," said Ginny. "The basics are much easier to learn if you receive instruction from someone who isn't so wrapped up in the specialization that they can't properly explain the simpler things. Get it?"

"Actually... that makes sense," Haylan said, nodding at his friends.

*

Time flew for Haylan, what with the combined, doubled up alchemy and herbalism lessons, the constant, yet obnoxious manipulation of linen into bandages, cooking, fishing, and of course working on his Fireball, Frost Armor, and Arcane Intellect spells. As a result of his hard work, he could make a small array of potions, he could make a bandage from a scrap of linen cloth in just under two seconds, the fish he caught could be used for something aside from bait, and the food he cooked no longer tasted like charred coals left in the sun four summers ago. A full fortnight had passed before he started feeling the telltale itching on the back of his neck.

"Come on in!" Arik called after breakfast one morning when the boys knocked on the door of the cold room. Ash winced as he chewed his eggs while Haylan groused around a mouthful of grapefruit and rolled his shoulders. Arik assumed the boys both had issues with identifying the true nature of their discomfort as they had only dealt with it once, so he took care to make sure their weekends were clear for the lessons he had planned. With it being the first morning of the weekend, Arik had announced an impromptu mage training session.

The boys walked in, fur jumping to attention at the crisp air.

"What's up?" asked Ash.

"You two are ready for the next stage of training." Arik answered simply, "if I'm right, that is. You both looked relatively uncomfortable at breakfast so instead of your usual independent study, I'm going to teach you something new."

"I thought that might be what the problem was, but I wasn't sure," said Ash.

"No Ginny?" asked Haylan.

"Not for a few days, she's out gather a few things for a future session with the two of you." said Arik. "But today, I'll be teaching you two spells. The first I'll be showing you, is how to cast a Frostbolt. Go ahead and get into your proper stance before we continue. It's the same one you use for Fireballs."

Haylan spread his feet to a shoulder length distance apart and raised his arms into the now familiar stance. He smiled to himself as he mentally commented about how he looked like a "W" from the way his arms and head were positioned.

"Now, remember the way you call upon Frost Armor, and all you have to do is focus the chill and channel it just like you do the Fireball."

Haylan opened his eyes and tossed his Frostbolt over to where Arik had moved to during his explanation. The spell flashed through the air like an earthbound comet and smashed against the almost invisible blue tinge of power curved in front of him. Arik smiled at Haylan and motioned for him to try again. Haylan threw Frostbolt after Frostbolt at his instructor, giddy on the rush he was feeling at being a natural at an offensive spell. He could instinctively feel the subtle distance between Frostbolt and Fireball, but he was fine with them. While a Fireball may have more of an initial impact on it, it tired him far more than a Frostbolt, which he could cast faster. Just like the Frost Armor he had easily mastered, Haylan was sure that had Arik not been so much stronger than he was, the Frostbolts he had been flinging through the air would most likely chill his targets to the point where they would be too cold to move at their normal speed.

After a quick lunch (Ash caught on to the Frostbolt spell in about the same time as Haylan had Fireball) the trio was back at it.

"Alright, this spell is someone iconic of our class," said Arik. " It's actually a little trickier than one would think, but once you've got it, it's going to be like second nature."

Haylan raised his eyebrows, silently urging Arik on.

"After dabbling lightly into the frost and fire schools of magic, this one comes from the arcane. Before we get into this though, I have a question for you two. How do you feel after casting repeatedly?"

"Exhausted," said Haylan," I can definitely feel the difference between casting Fireballs versus Frostbolts."

"Yeah," Ash added, "I think casting a Fireball is way more... Exerting... I think that's the word I want, than casting a Frostbolt."

"Well, that's because it's a proven fact that until you have been trained into a specific branch, Frostbolt _is_ less mana intensive than Fireball," explained Arik. "It's interesting that even at this early stage of your training that you are both so attuned to that fact. Personally, I was aware of it, but not at a conscious level like you two are. I was just struggling so hard with the Frostbolt that I couldn't realize that it was less draining overall than the Fireball due to my affinity."

"I thought-" started Ash.

"Oh, that's not to say that your affinities are less than mine is, it's just an interesting point to me." Arik said with a smile. "Anyway, this spell is going to help replenish you mana. You're going to learn to Conjure Water."

"Oh! Like you did with the table on our first night?" Haylan asked excitedly.

"Yes, but to a lesser extent," said Arik. "You have to learn to crawl before you can walk, as they say."

"This is going to be the best thing ever!" exclaimed Haylan, "It's like those energy tonics they sell in the tavern!"

"Pretty much," laughed Arik.

Nearly a month later, Haylan had mastered the basic linen bandage and was working on making a Heavy Linen Bandage in a second or under, he could make another two potions, pick herbs as tricky, delicate and complex as briarthorn, cast an even stronger Fireball, had learned a new spell called Fire Blast which caused fire to more or less erupt in the target's face and even better, he could conjure muffins to eat if he decided to skive off of getting up for breakfast, which also made his body in general feel better. Things were going well.

Early one morning, while Haylan had been out picking herbs for inclusion in a round of healing and mana potions he planned to send to the front lines. That was when he came across a dead man. The body had a long knife with a skull ornament on its hilt protruding from the ribs. Frantic and in a mild inner panic, Haylan looked around. Off the coastline, he spotted a pair of savage-looking warships docked at the shore.

_We.. we're being invaded? I... I have to tell someone! I should run back to the manor!_ he thought. _No... That's too far away, who knows what would happen before I get there. I have to go to the mayor! I have to get to Gwen Armstead as soon as possible._

Things _had been_ going well. Haylan blinked as he realized the world as he had known it was about to be blown to smithereens.

*

"Forsaken!? Well don't dawdle, boy! We must be quick! We must mount a defensive immediately!" exclaimed Gwen Armstead, the mayor of Duskhaven. "The reefs have always protected us from coastal attack. The earthquakes from the last few years must've opened a passage for the Forsaken ships.

"Quick. Slow down the attackers while I get the rest of the militia ready."

A loud, albeit distant explosion rang through the air. The mayor looked more frazzled than every, and tugged at his mane nervously.

"That must be the Prince and some of our men engaging the Forsaken even as we speak. Find Liam and see if you can't be of some use."

Haylan blinked stupidly. As a part of all lower classes, the students were taught that those in official positions were effectively their military leaders should any sort of direct attack occur. Well, the attack had come, but Haylan was severely untrained. What use would he be against the Forsaken!? What, with their sheer numbers, not to mention the monstrosities commonly referred to as abominations, Haylan immediately felt overwhelmed. Coming out of his stupor, he found himself being pushed out the door by one of the mayor's assistants, with said mayor calling out after him.

"Do make sure he doesn't get himself killed. I'm afraid he might be a little... reckless, all things considered."

Haylan's first thought was to go straight to the manor to gather Ash, Ginny, and Arik, but he decided against it. What would he do if he was discovered to have taken a detour? Most would assume he was running from combat, that he had disobeyed a direct order. Given the current situation, he would likely be executed immediately and thought a traitor to the kingdom. That certainly wouldn't do.

Before he knew it, Haylan found himself at a small outpost near the beach, but still somewhat hidden from the Forsaken warships.

"HAYLAN!" an oddly familiar voice called out. "You ARE Alive!"

Haylan blinked dimly, yet again. He felt that he somewhat recognized the man standing before him, but it was hard to tell since the other had been in his worgen form.

"I thought I was having dreams of the old days when I heard your voice asking for me."

Haylan blinked again. He recognized the voice, though it had been an eternity since he had heard it, but the man before him was still covered in fur and Haylan was unsure as to how he knew him. Then his mind clicked.

"Preston?" he asked.

"Yes, though when I am not running around marauding as a traveling altar boy, I am usually known as Prince Liam of Gilneas."

Haylan stared with his mouth slightly open. He knew it, but he was in shock. First, he had been sent down to assist the Prince with fighting off the Forsaken who seemed bent upon invading the kingdom. Secondly, the boy who he had befriended the previous summer was in fact the crown prince. What? That was when Haylan realized that though he had stopped talking, Liam had not.

"What?" he asked.

"That's right, get out there and help quell a batch of these motherless Forsaken. Once you have killed a fair dozen or so, return to me and I will have a better assignment for you."

Haylan stepped quietly into the muddy sand.

_I really wish Ash or Ginny or Arik were here,_ he whined in his head. _They would know what to do they would know where to go and how to go about this... this horrible task._

Haylan brought the chill of the mist swirling about him close to form his Frost Shield, immediately followed by mentally buffing up his mind with a quick cast of Arcane Intellect. Since he had been out in the fields, picking herbs to work on his alchemy, Haylan dug into his pack, pulling out a small, stoppered vial of aqua colored liquid. He downed it quickly and burped. He had learned to sweeten the potion so the taste wouldn't be so terrible, but it was called Troll's Blood for a reason, no matter how weak it was.

Nearly half an hour later, Haylan had conquered his fear and stepped out into the foray with the Forsaken. He, along with a good number of others had formed a loosely organized strike force. Together, they downed a decent number of the invaders. Having had his fill and being relatively exhausted, Haylan made his way back to Prince Liam.

"Nicely done," said the Prince, "but we're far from finished. See the great fat ones? Abominations, they're called – they don't go down so easy, but we HAVE to take them out before they get too far up the coast. I want you to back up team 121 with whatever you can do to help them."

"Team 121?" asked Haylan.

"Yeah... Us."

Haylan's heart stalled as if it had been pelted with a Frostbolt. He turned slowly, already knowing who had appeared behind him.

"DenJer..."

It turned out that the team had been a lucky break for Haylan. Though he and DenJer had been grouped together, the group also, mercifully, included Ash, Ayana, and a rogue who had apparently teamed up with Ayana on the way to the small outpost. Ayana used her knowledge to keep Winry, the rogue, up and energized while she ducked and dodged and bobbed and weaved in and out of the shadows, taking down the invaders one by one.


	4. 3

Somehow, months had literally flown by. Haylan wasn't even sure on how much time had passed between his being ordered to the beach and his waking in the Gilnean district of Stormwind. He, and the rest of his team had been disbanded almost immediately after they docked at Stormwind Harbor. He would miss Anjanetta, of course, but he was just fine with the distance being a member of the Alliance's forces had created between DenJer and his own person. Being in Stormwind, even in the area built specifically for his fellow Gilneans, Haylan felt uncomfortable walking around in his Worgen form. The people beyond the official turf of Gilnean Embassy seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with the affliction the Gilneans carried. In fact, they openly referred to Haylan and his people as Worgen, despite the control they had over their more primal nature.

While the inhabitants were quickly able to accommodate the earliest arrivals from Gilneas, the later refugees had been forced to wait and continue battling the Forsaken who attacked day after day, relentlessly. Haylan had been impressed by the fact that if nothing else, the Horde was indeed persistent. Eventually, the Worgen District (as the denizens of Stormwind City itself had taken to calling it) was built and Haylan, along with a host of other refugees were sent from the battlefield that the bulk of their homeland had become, to live among their new allies. Truly, Stormwind and Gilneas had been allies once, that much he had learned from the history he had learned while attending the lower classes all Gilneans were required to take before pursuing any sort of mastery. Remembering the earliest lesson he had learned while in the chapel of Brookhaven, and looked himself over in the mirror. People unaffected by the Worgen curse would fear what he had dubbed his "in-combat" state. So, looking every bit a normal human, steel colored irises aside, Haylan ventured into the Trade District, clutching the small scrap of parchment in his hand with a tight grip, making his way to the Mage Quarter.

_You are hereby ordered for induction into the Armed Forces of the Grand Alliance of the nations and kingdoms consisting of; Darnassus, Gnomeregan, Ironforge, The Exodar, Gilneas, and Stormwind, and to report to The Wizard's Sanctum, within the western portion of Stormwind City, two days from the arrival of this letter at dawn for forwarding to an Armed Forces Induction Station._

_-Brigadier General Roy Mustang_

"Hey! You there!"

Haylan sighed internally and braced himself for the onslaught of insults he knew would be coming. He was unsure of what it was, be it his gait, the odd color of his eyes (many people had gray eyes, but as far as he could tell, only people actually born looking like a Worgen had steel colored eyes), or something else, his first day in the city, he had inadvertently outed himself as a Gilnean, and therefore one of the "mangy man-beasts who would be better off put down than to walk around with the curse coursing through his veins, threatening normal folk, thank-you-very-much" as one of the busy body locals had stated. Who knew there was still racism alive and well even in these modern days? It was one thing to hate the Horde and the monsters who would creep about through the night, but something completely different to be prejudiced against innocent people like Haylan.

_Or is it. I can't help what I was born as, but neither can Orcs, Trolls, or Tauren. Even the Forsaken, by extension are innocent._ That realization shocked Haylan. Had he not just been forced from his home and training because of that very group? _ It's not like they banded together and made that decision. They have superior officers just like we do. Disobeying an order could spell death if you're under the wrong person,_ he thought with a shudder. _Can a raised and rotted corpse die if it's already dead though?_

"Oi! I'm talking to you!"

Haylan shook his head from side to side to clear his random thoughts. It certainly wouldn't do to dwell on the possible humanity of creatures who made heretical claims that the elven of the world devolved from them, monsters from the bowels of the twisting nether, reanimated zombies, and strangely sentient cow-persons. Haylan had developed a bad habit of blurting out whatever stray thought crossed his mind. Then he would be a traitor and a murderous wolf monster. He turned his head to locate the source of the voice, which in and of itself was odd after spending months being able to just turn his ears.

A boy roughly his age, though far larger than Haylan was, perked his eyebrows when Haylan actually looked at him and jogged over. From a distance, Haylan had misjudged him. He had thought the boy to be a human, but he was not. He was most certainly a Night Elf. Haylan smacked himself mentally. How had he missed those ears?! While the boy was dressed in typical clothing of a resident of Stormwind, he clearly was not human.

"Name's Talysus," said the elf, extending his right hand, "and you're..."

"Uh... Haylan."

"Good to meet you," said Talysus, "You looked a little lost, where are you trying to get."

"Um, the Mage Quarter?" Haylan looked back at his note, not because he didn't know where he was going, but more because he needed to collect his mind. Lately, he had been having an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he was unsure as to what it was. It made him slightly uncomfortable. His eyes and Talysus's own green ones meeting made the odd stirring in his belly happen and it was a bit unnerving for this stranger to have that affect on him.

"Oh, you're really close to it then," Talysus said as he peered over Haylan's shoulder, looking at the letter for himself. "So are you a mage or a warlock?"

Haylan jumped a little at the question. From what he had understood, the elves had only recently allowed their own to begin studying non-nature magic again. The fact that this one was being so helpful with pointing him in the right direction and casually asked whether he was more attuned to arcane or fel magic was a bit odd. Or at least it seemed like it. "I'm nowhere near being fully trained," he said, "but I am a mage. Or at least learning how to be one at any rate."

"Oh yeah?" Talysus said with a smile, "I'd been a merchant for some time, selling specialty elixirs, draughts, and , which I still do mind you, before I was called upon by a force I still don't quite understand."

"What force was that?" asked Haylan.

"Nature. I just recently decided to take up druidism."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, but it's kind of difficult trying to fit in. Having spent most of my life living among humans has somewhat alienated me from some of the others. They don't like how interspersed I am with you guys."

"Oh. I'm n--"

"Oh, don't worry about it," said Talysus dismissively, "I can handle just about anything if I shift into bear form. Who's going to pick on a bear?"

"No. I mean. I-"

"Oh that's cute," Talysus smirked, ruffling Haylan's rusty brown hair, "you're worried for me. Really. I'm plenty fine. Anyway, here we are. I better be getting back to The Park before they realize I've skived off from manning my station again."

Before Haylan could say anything more, Talysus had shifted effortlessly into a cheetah and dashed away.

_That... that's one seriously odd person, even for an elf,_ Haylan thought as he pushed the door to the large tower open. An invisible wind swept over him as he crossed the threshold and stepped in.

"Good morning," a woman said, coming down the stairs. "I am Jennea Cannon." Haylan nodded to the woman before demonstrating the Magi's Bow. She smiled at him and returned the gesture. "Good to see that despite the troubles facing your country, the older customs are still being passed down."

"Yes ma'am, they are," said Haylan. "Master Ryken has been adamant that we be schooled in the basics before learning the flashy stuff."

"Ryken!? That old devil is still around!? Oh that's great!" Jennea exclaimed. "I had feared the worst when Greymane ordered Gilneas be shut off from the rest of the Alliance."

"He was off to assist in keeping the Burning Legion at bay in Outland last I heard," supplied Haylan.

"Ah, he always was a bit of a hothead with a flair for adventuring," Jennea said thoughtfully, "I bet he was just itching to get back out there into the mix of things. Enough of that though, I'll pick your brain later to quell my thirst of information regarding my old friend soon enough. Let's access your progression thus far. Come this way with me."

Haylan followed the woman into a small room off to the side. He was sure that the room would be unassailable if one were not accompanied by Jennea. He hadn't even noticed the room until she turned her attention to it.

Inside the room, there was a shimmer of magic in the air, and not much else. Assuming he would have to demonstrate his abilities as he had with Ginny and Arik in the cold room, Haylan quickly strode over to the other side of the room, transforming as he went. Not noticing Jennea's look of confusion, Haylan raised his arms and began casting his longtime favorite, the Frostbolt.

"Wait! Wait!" Jennea said as a visibly flurry of coldness settled on either of Haylan's upturned, wavering hands. Haylan stopped obediently, just as he was about to bring his hands together to send the Frostbolt flying toward the woman. "That damned Ryken!"

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" asked Haylan, immediately dropping back into his human form, cheeks flush with pink and embarrassment.

"It's not you. I forget that Ryken likes to do things far harder than strictly necessary. I presume you've spent a good portion of time practicing the same spells over and over?" At Haylan's silent nod, Jennea smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "There is a much easier way of going about your training. You're familiar with the sensation you get when it's time to learn a new spell or better the ones you currently know when the power you've amassed has grown some, yes?"

Haylan nodded.

"Alright, instead of being shown some long, tedious technique, there's a far simpler way. All you need to do is see a certified mage trainer. We'll look into your eyes to ensure that you've attained the necessary level of power, and implant the correct technique for casting new or improved spells. We've even broken down the preferred learning order of every spell our class is capable of along with all three specialization branches. Instead of wasting time and forcing you to unlock your own mind, we more or less open the door for you.

"That's not to say that we just give you full access to your potential. That would be foolish. You would most likely be ripped apart by such an exponential increase in power. Either that or you wouldn't have the internal power supply to adequately fuel the spells. So, like I said, we've devised a spell-by-level system along with a talent-tier to accompany it."

"Talent tier? Levels? Wait! Is that like dinging!?" Haylan said the last word with gusto, excited to have used the word he remembered either Ginny or Arik using.

"Let me find a better way to explain this..."

Nearly half an hour had passed before Jennea had sufficiently explained the leveling and talent specialization (spec for short) systems. Haylan was surprised to hear that just about everyone he would meet from that point on would have a predetermined level and or spec of their own. To prove her point, Jennea pulled a flow chart of sorts from her robe pockets. Haylan laughed to himself once he realized that he had indeed been going about things the hard way. He was thrilled to see that Ginny had been right about him though, he had indeed been subconsciously working his way to becoming a Frost Mage.

"Alright, now, to gauge your level," Jennea said. "Come over here, and just try to stand still for a second or so, okay? I could sense you from the canals, so you've got quite a bit of stored up experience that needs a place to go."

She closed her eyes and raised both hands to the sides of Haylan's face. He thought her hands smelled flowery, like his own when he had been out picking herbs for his inscription. In the time he had been in Stormwind before being told off by that one busybody for being a "Worgen mongrel," he had wandered into Catarina Stanford, the local inscription trainer and had somehow found himself more interested in making and discovering glyphs versus mixing up potions and elixirs.

"It feels like you should be around level twenty or so," Jennea announced, bringing Haylan back from the trance he seemed to frequently found himself in when he got to thinking. She casually tapped her foot on the ground, causing a portion behind her to rise. She switched positions with Haylan before forcing him to sit on the pillar. "It looks like you got stalled in your training somewhere around L7. I'm going to try to remove a handful of the blocks on your core and implant a few spells at the same time, okay?"

"Will it hurt?"

"If anything goes wrong, we'll both be greasy smears on the walls," she said seriously, "but at the same time, your walking around with such a large build up has essentially converted you into a Living Bomb, which is ironic given your affinity for Frost magics."

"Living bomb?" Haylan gulped and opened his eyes wide.

"Yeah, it's something the most educated Fire Mages are able to convert enemies into, so yeah... irony that you a-- I mean. It's really nothing to worry about. Just try to keep your eyes glued to mine and stay calm. This should be rather easy."

And just like that, Haylan found his mind _crowded_. He was actually surprised by the sensation of Jennea being in his mind with him. They stood in a narrow hall, six doors, spaced several feet from the one before it, stood open behind him, while the one in front of him remained closed. He looked at it, and started to reach for it, curiosity getting the better for it for a moment before he pulled back and looked at Jennea, or the mental projection of her in his mind. Either way, she nodded at him, and he turned the nob. Slowly, he pulled the door toward him and felt a great and sudden _whoosh_ of an unbeknownst force flash through him. Thinking about it, he realized an intense pressure he had not noticed until it was slightly alleviated by being allowed to flow into the space behind the door he had just opened. A large, ragged looking book materialized a moment later. Jennea raised her hand and swiped her hand in front of it. An archaic form of writing trailed the path he hand had taken, three lines, each on top of the other. Haylan blinked rapidly, three times before the book slammed shut and vanished. The duo opened another dozen doors after that, with the book appearing after every other door, with Jennea swiping her hand each time it manifested and Haylan's eyes automatically blinking for each line of the ancient writing after they appeared, some overwriting previously established ones. After the book had vanished for the last time, Haylan stretched lazily and found the pressure that had been nearly unbearable when they had opened the first door was at a comfortable level, he smiled lopsidedly as he Jennea smirked and nodded at him before vanishing.

"Haylan?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head, bringing a hand up to rub his neck and shoulders. Without meaning to make it happen, the giant book appeared behind his eyelids. Haylan smiled as he realized what it was. It was his own personal book of spells. This book was the mental representation of every spell he had learned thus far. The front of the book detailed all of his natural skills, or at least the ones which existed outside of his being a mage. Then, looking beyond that, Haylan saw that his actual mage spells were arranged by which school of magic it came from. Tumbing through each section, he saw that he could now channel the raw force of arcane magic into what would appear in the material world as little missiles, summon a Blizzard, call up a pillar of flames to scorch the earth and those standing on it, make his mana actually manifest and form a shield of sorts, but the best thing, at least in his mind was that he could force some enemies into becoming other creatures, specifically docile little sheep, should he need to. In addition to the new spells, he had access to stronger Frostbolts, Fireballs, Fire Blasts, and conjured food and drink. He had learned a few other spells, but they didn't excite him nearly as much as the ones on the forefront of his mind.

"Haylan?" Haylan opened his eyes finally, blinking rapidly. "You had me worried for a moment. I thought I had actually succeeded in melting your mind or something equally horrible!"

"Sorry," Haylan said sheepishly (he mentally chuckled at that thought. Sheepish. Ha.), "I got a little wrapped up in the spellbook... is it okay to call it a spellbook?"

"That's exactly what it is!" said Jennea, guiding Haylan back to the main room, "It's surprising that you have had such unorthodox training, but your mind automatically latched on to the book concept. I've had to train more than my fair share of people to organize their minds into books rather than webs or spirals or whatever other strange system they keep dreaming up. Just last week I had—"

"Is this one of the newbies?"

Haylan and Jennea looked up the staircase. Haylan automatically went for the customary mage greeting while Jennea just rolled her eyes. "This is Haylan," she said.

"Yeah... like I care," snapped the man. "Newb, get your flea-bitten ass up to Purdue before--"

"Oh give it a rest already Jens!" yelled Jennea. "They're with us now, whether you like it or not, so just get over yourself."

"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?!" roared the man apparently named Jens. "No matter how many of these _bitches_ are deemed safe to be around us _normal humans,_ they ARE NOT! They are filthy beasts now and if even Lady Proudmoore nor even The Council of Six combined can lift their curse, they are as damned as those taken by the plague! Why can you not see that?"

Haylan's cheeks visibly blanched and his mouth fell open. _Is he SERIOUS!?_ he thought._ He can't be. He can't possibly be that stupid..._

Jennea threw her hands out and an explosion of purple and blue sprang from her fingertips and rippled across Jens's chest, sending the man flying backwards into a bookshelf, which toppled over onto him. "You. Me. Outside. NOW!" she barked, then turned to Haylan, the dangerous glint still in her eye, "You head on up to Purdue. She'll teach you how to properly teleport to from anywhere you may be right back to this very building."

Haylan nodded, wide eyed and practically flew up the stairs three at a time, only pausing long enough to see Jens cast what he suspected was the Arcane Explosion he had just learned to send the bookshelf and it's contents flying as he marched toward the door. Haylan was absolutely sure that Jens and Jennea were about to have an old fashioned duel. While he wanted to see one first hand, he continued upwards. There was absolutely _NO WAY_ he was about to face Jennea in an act of defiance just to see this one. He was sure that there would be many duels to come in his future as long as prejudiced people like Jens were free to roam about. Haylan absently wondered how many people shared Jens's point of view on the matter of Gilneans and their newly reclaimed place within the Alliance.

"I take it Jens was foolish enough to let his tongue slip in front of Jennea again?"

Haylan mutely nodded. The room he had stepped into, via the odd portal at the top of an otherwise nowhere-bound staircase, was filled with a handful of magi. It was the woman nearest the portal on the opposite wall who had spoken when he had entered. Haylan turned and pointed at the portal behind him and cocked his head to the side in puzzlement.

"Master Portalmancer... the portal you just stepped through bars non-magi from entering this room from that side. I thought it prudent that if something should happen, we be able to hear a warning coming from the outside world so we'd not walk into an ambush when we really only needed to get some fresh air or use a real loo instead of making portal potties. We really haven't the time for people to be coming in and out asking us moronic questions. Or tampering with The Rift, so that's why non-magi are barred from entering..." Purdue sighed as Haylan blinked at her blankly. "What are they teaching the lower level these days? There is a whole world filled with stories of the past! I swear you lot are not being properly educated. Here... come here," she said, taking a firm grip of Haylan's chin with her hand. Her brown eyes peered into his, and in a much faster transaction than had transpired with Jennea downstairs, when she released him a moment later, Haylan found that he knew how to open a personal portal for himself which would bring him to this very room.

"What about this?" asked Haylan. He pulled his letter out of his robe, showing it to Purdue.

"Hmm, yes... well this can wait. I'll record that you've come in, but I think there is something more important for you to take care of. Visit the established Alliance cities, and seek out the Portalmancer in each. Maybe while you travel, you'll learn a thing or two about the history of Azeroth. It wasn't so long ago that the area known as Desolace was actually _desolate_ and without much greenery. While you're at it, go find the Archaeologist and see if you can't learn something more during your travels."

"Um, okay. I mean," he performed the Magi's Bow, "yes ma'am."

"Once you've learned from all of the portalmancers, return here. Got it?" asked Purdue. Haylan nodded fervently. "Good. And here, take this portal. It wouldn't do to have you see what Jennea did to Jens. She never loses when she's righteously infuriated, even if it is on the behalf of another."

Haylan stepped into the portal. It was a different sensation from the other portals he had taken so far in his life. Ginny's were always cool and like riding a current of water while Arik's were steamy and like swimming through a hot spring on a hot summer day. This one felt like a giant hand had grabbed Haylan's spine and jerked him forward. It didn't exactly hurt, but it was far from comfortable. Thinking about it, Haylan smirked to himself. Each type of portal had a strong tie to the caster. Or at least that was what he had assumed. Ginny's was cool because she chose to spec (he liked the abbreviation he had learned from Jennea) Frost, Arik's was warm because he specced Fire, and he had to assume that from his understanding of arcane magic to be a simple force, was what was wrapped around his spine at the moment. Just as the pressure neared becoming uncomfortable, Haylan landed.

He blinked and looked around, trying to get his bearings. He was back in his room, in the Gilnean section of Stormwind. Without hesitation, Haylan moved to pack his bags. He was more than ready to get out of Stormwind. It was a nice place and all, but the abundance of ignorance regarding him and his countrymen was getting to him. Absently spelling the last of his things into his pack, Haylan grabbed a quill and parchment. Recently, he felt as though his memory was slipping, so he made a list of things he needed to do before heading out to find all of the other capital cities.

The first thing on his list was to grab a few of the basic provisions he would need. Food and drink weren't on the list. He could now conjure a delicious bit of purified water and a fresh loaf or two of bread. _On second thought, maybe I can spare a few silver to get some sort of cheese... Bread and water is so... Yeah. Cheese,_ he thought, adding it to his list. Nearly an hour later, Haylan was headed back to the Mage Quarter. He figured he may as well go ahead and get the reagent he would need to be able to teleport himself about once he had learned all of the specific spells to bop from place to place.

"Hey! Haylan!"

Haylan started and Blinked before looked around. A powerful cat slunk up beside him, slipping out of the shadows Haylan had not noticed. The beast poofed (that was the best way he could describe it) with a puff of white smoke and a small crack right before Haylan's eyes. He thought to Blink again, but his body wasn't ready for that just yet. Instead, Haylan threw his arms out and closed his eyes. He fired the first spell that had come to mind, and when he opened his eyes again, he burst into laughter. Before him stood a surprised looking Talysus. A shock of white, curly hair had replaced his own, which was naturally violet and straight. He ran a hand through it and burst into laughter.

"Oh! Sorry!" Haylan cried, " you just scared me and I wasn't sure of what to do, and it was the first spell that I could think of that wouldn't actually hurt you but would maybe stop you and then I... I'm sorry," he finished lamely.

"Okay, I won't be sneaking up on you again any time soon," he said. "But... um... you should probably switch back before someone sees you."

Haylan gasped and let his Worgen guise fall away, leaving the more pleasing, human one in its place.

"So where are you off to? Did you get your assignment already?" Talysus asked.

"Sort of," Haylan said, "I've been told to go to each of the capital cities and learn the teleportation spell from the portalmancer. That's all, really."

"Ah, well they must have given you a lot of time then, that's quite a task."

"Actually," Haylan said, thoughtfully scrunching his face to one side, "I don't believe they gave me a time limit."

"Great, that means you can come with me," said Talysus.

"Um, come with you where?" asked Haylan.

"Well I was sent over to The Stockade, we heard an explosion over at The Park, to see what was going on," Talysus explained while Haylan purchased a few more of the provisions he would need for his trip, "and I was tasked with quelling the uprising."

"Good luck?" Haylan said, with his eyebrow raised. He dropped the runes into his pack and made for the door. He didn't quite see what he would be doing that could possibly help the druid. He knew the fabled prison about as well as anyone else did. He knew it was a place he certainly never wanted to go, for punishment or... punishment. No way could stepping into a mob of murderous lunatics be counted as an adventure.

"Well, I can't go in by myself," Talysus whispered as he caught Haylan's hand. Haylan tried to shake him off, but found that he was staring into the elf's eyes. There were really a pretty green...

Haylan slapped himself mentally.

Talysus said nothing else, but he kept his eyes locked on Haylan's and kept a firm grip on his hand.

Had he been able to, Haylan would have thrown his arms up and run away screaming like a madman. It was one thing to fight the Forsaken considering they were horrid, twisted undead minions of the scourge, it was something completely different to step into a prison filled with plotting and rebelling convicts who were most likely in there for a good reason and be on the OFFENSIVE portion of that particular conflict. To Haylan's dismay, before he knew what he was doing, he nodded slowly. Some other part of him, the adrenaline junkie within, had examined the challenge and accepted it without consulting him. He decided that part of him was a complete and total moron.

"Great!," Talysus said, giving the smaller boy a shoulder hug and steering him toward the path that would take them out to the canals,which would in turn take them to The Stockades.

"Hold on," Haylan said, trying to stop his legs from so willingly going along with his new companion, "I'm not exactly good at this offensive mage thing. I don't even know what to do. And what are we going to do if one of the convicts actually hurts one of us?"

"Oh don't worry about it," Talysus said dismissively, "there are five of us going in together. That should be more than enough. There's a human huntress going with us along with a Gilnean druid and priestess pair as well.

"Besides," he said, giving Haylan another shoulder squeeze and leaned in close to whisper into his ear as they rounded the corner and three people (clearly not of the Stormwind Guard) came into view, "I promise to keep you safe."

Haylan blushed from the tips of his toes to the start of his hairline. Before he could comment, a bestial roar sounded from the group of three.

Haylan froze.

DenJer's cool, steely eyes fell on Haylan, then Talysus, then the latter's arm, as it was still draped over the shoulder of the former.

"Uh-um. Hi?" stammered Haylan. He rolled his shoulders, causing Talysus's arm to slide off. He didn't know why he had done it. Really, there was nothing between him or either of the two other guys. Sure, he and DenJer had grown up together, but that didn't mean anything. He had grown up with Anjanetta as well, and she didn't act that way. Thinking of her, Haylan nodded mutely to her, realizing that she must have been the Gilnean priestess Talysus had mentioned on the walk over, then the human and her wolf companion.

"Good morning," DenJer growled through unparted teeth. The dangerous flash of yellow popped in and out of his eyes as he spoke, "I'm glad to see you've wasted no time... 'acquainting' yourself with our friend here."

"It's not like that," Haylan started.

"Yeah, we met in the dead of night some time ago, actually," Talysus said, the challenge put down and sealed with him putting his arm back up and around Haylan's shoulders.

"It's not like that!" Haylan cried, "I mean, it is, but not really. It's more like-"

"It's more like you keep picking everyone else above me," groused DenJer. "I was going to let you and Anjanetta's little trick slide. But since we've debarked the ship, it's like you're hiding from me, which makes me wonder how long you and Ashley had been planning out your little relationship. How long!?

"And when I came to talk to you about everything, you acted like you wanted to be all scared and hit me in the mouth with a fucking walking stick! Before the Forsaken, you were creeping around town hoping I wouldn't see you. I saw you. I saw you and the way you clung to him like the sun rose and set at his whim."

Haylan's mouth fell open and he stared at DenJer. What in the world was he going on and on about!? There had been nothing between him and Ash. Sure, they had quickly become the best of friends, but that was it. They may have shared a bed from time to time, but that was really only in the beginning when they were both scared out of their wits and had made the first of many very adult decisions. It was a comfort thing. Haylan himself had been sharing a room with DenJer since he was seven, and after eight years of sharing a room with someone, it was rather disconcerting to be all alone in a new and unfamiliar place. As for Ash, Haylan knew he had come from a large family and he and his two older brothers had all shared a room.

And this particular outburst had been the reason he had avoided DenJer for as long as he had. He knew him. He knew he would get wrapped up in his passions and explode. What Haylan still didn't know was how to handle this sort of thing. He really was only barely of age, and that was by the oldest of Gilnean customs as he was the only surviving member of his family. Out in the rest of the world, he would be looked at as a child still by most, especially with the way the elves practically never aged and were almost the oldest yet youngest creatures from the old stories, and how dwarves and gnomes didn't even seem to measure time the way normal humanoids did. He had only been accepted into the higher classes because he was considered to be somewhat intelligent, and thus a few years younger than both Anjanetta and DenJer.

"Hello!?" DenJer barked, snapping his fingers in Haylan's face.

"Sorry, what?"

"Well good. You've made your choice then," DenJer sniped. "Sorry, I'm out of here. I'm not about to sit here and be blatantly disrespected by the likes of either of you." He jabbed a finger toward Haylan and Talysus.

"DenJer..."

"No!"

"We all need to talk about this," said Anjanetta. She had initially seemed amused by DenJer putting on another public display of idiocy, but had quickly become annoyed once she saw how uncomfortable it Haylan had become.

"No, we don't. I'd be just fine never seeing or speaking to any of you ever again," he said.

"So you're just going to turn and run the other way, or maybe be rude and just stroll by without a word when you see _us_?" asked Talysus, putting a special emphasis on the last word. "Or, will you do the unwise thing of trying to cause a scene like you have now?"

"I've done no such thing," DenJer snarled.

"You have if you'll look around and notice the small audience we've attracted." Haylan looked around at Talysus's words, and it was true. They had definitely become a spectacle. "I would suggest you lower your tone before I assist you with that matter."

"Are you THREATENING ME!?" yelled DenJer.

"I'm promising with all sincerity, friend."

DenJer opened his mouth, then shut it again. He took a deep, calming breath. When Haylan shuddered, his face fell a little.

"I... I'll be requesting a transfer immediately." DenJer moved like he wanted to touch Haylan in some way, but when he saw the other boy flinch again, he dropped his eyes to the ground and walked away.

There was nothing he could say at that moment. His anger and hatred toward his friend had manifested in a way that he was quickly growing to regret. He would apologize later. Haylan saw all of that in the split second after he had automatically flinched under his longtime friend's gaze and the time it took said friend to look down abashedly. The long, awkward pause between DenJer's departure and someone speaking was the longest two seconds of Haylan's life thus far.

"So do we find someone else to go in with us, or just go with the four of us?" asked Anjanetta, though she corrected herself once the hunter's wolf barked.

"What do you need?" asked someone walking forward from the crowd.

"We'll need a heavy hitter," said Anjanetta, "I think it's best to have all of ." She looked back at Haylan and raised an eyebrow when she noticed the tall elf who had recruited her for this specific adventure still had an arm draped around him.

"Well, I'm Isai, nice to meet ya!" said the tentacles.

_No! Stop that._ Haylan thought to himself._ It's not her fault she has tentacles on her face... it's kinda nasty though... I have to find something else about her to focus on._

"Pleased to meet you as well. I'm Talysus, this is Haylan, and that's Anjanetta, Arley, and Harry," he said, squeezing Haylan once again, and nodding to the Gilnean priestess, human hunter and his pet respectively.

"So where are we headed?" asked Isai, practically bouncing on the backs of her hooves.

Fifteen minutes later, Haylan was still very shaky about what he was about to do. He had spoken with the cowardly guard who was supposed to be in charge of Stormwind Stockade. He quickly promised gold and to spread good word about Haylan and his party should they succeed. When Haylan asked what would happen if they were in there too long, the guard laughed at them. That definitely didn't boost his confidence.

So now that he was standing at the bottom of the steps, Haylan shivered independently of the chill of the dank basement. He was somewhat perturbed by how they had only taken a few steps down and felt isolated from the outside world. It was like the dungeon they were in _was_ the world. He didn't like that.

Haylan felt invisible thorns wrap around and protect his body and a bit of tougher. He felt a tiny bit more confident than he had upstairs, a little tougher. He looked at Talysus, who winked at him. They were going to have to have a little chat, in the mean time though, Haylan quickly cast Arcane intellect on everyone who had come downstairs and surrounded himself with Frost Armor.

"Are you sure I should be in here?" Haylan whispered to no one in particular.

"From what I've been told, there are going to be dozens and dozens of people too scared to get their own hands dirty and will ask you to go in their place," Anjanetta said, saying a quick prayer over each of her compatriots. "If nothing else, you'll get a good amount of experience and know what to expect from now on."

_Oh... joy, _ he thought to himself.

Haylan summoned the cold of the dank basement to his person and began channeling a Frostbolt once he was sure Talysus had a good grip on the convicts littering that particular bit of hallway. He knew he had slipped into his Worgen form the moment he had called upon the chilly nature of the room to do his bidding. For once, he didn't particularly care. He just wanted to get out of the place alive.

_Here we go..._

He let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding and hurled the Frostbolt blindly into the crowd and grimaced as he waited to see if it would have any impact whatsoever.


End file.
